Stirling’s passion for food started around his grandparents' dinner table. But  it wasn’t until he started frequenting farmers markets in the Hudson Valley while attending Vassar College that the interconnection between food, community and environmental stewardship  became an important focus for him.  

Over the past eight years Stirling has worn several different hats in the world of food and hospitality. Starting off as a sales representative for a craft beer producer in Oakland, he eventually transitioned to philanthropy, helping to co-found and co-facilitate a grants committee in the Threshold Foundation that focused on  food justice and regenerative agriculture. Over the past two years, Stirling  started a bourbon-centric cocktail lounge  specializing in local spirits producers in his home town of Louisville, Kentucky. He is  a managing partner with his wonderful sister, Maud, and oversees financial management, legal compliance, marketing, executive strategy, and HR.