Reach for the Pie!

Help Pie Ranch raise $5 million to secure a permanent place to carry out our mission. Campaign investments will yield new generations of conscious consumers, able teachers, and thoughtful farmers by preserving the historic Isaac Steele farmstead, agricultural land, and coastal wilderness.

Directly west of Pie Ranch and fronting Highway 1, the Steele Ranch is a nationally registered landmark, dating back to the early 1860s. The 13-acre property in the Bay Area's coastal backyard features several historic buildings, fertile farmland and surrounding natural habitat. As if made to order, the footprint of the arable field is also shaped like a piece of pie.

Funding secured through The Reach for the Pie! Campaign will:

  • Increase opportunities available to school groups and farm apprentices who want to learn about sustainable farming and healthy food system principles.
  • Repurpose a former private residence to serve as a public education center and productive farmstead with a teachable landscape, classroom, a library dedicated to sustainable agriculture, a functional teaching kitchen, and conference space.
  • Restore and preserve an important piece of California's agricultural heritage: the historic Isaac Steele Ranch, a 13-acre farmstead fronting Highway 1.



Reaching for Our Second Slice

In 2006, Pie Ranch's visionary founders engaged the Peninsula Open Space Trust to step in as temporary owner of the Steele Ranch. This strategic partnership has saved the site from development while Pie Ranch built its capacity and enlisted community leaders for the Reach for the Pie! capital campaign to acquire and revitalize this historic dairy farm.

Historic Isaac Steele House—$2,500,000

The 4,000-square-ft historic Steele Family home will be the capstone project of the Reach for the Pie! campaign. A space for instruction, cooking, living and learning, the Steele House is the heart of our educational center.

Naming opportunities within the Steele House:

  1. Steele House Great Room—$250,000
  2. Ocean View Classroom—$100,000
  3. Hearthside Classroom—$100,000
  4. Library—$100,000
  5. Indoor teaching kitchen—$100,000
  6. Ohlone Culture Interpretive Exhibit—$100,000
  7. House Garden—100,000

Roadside Barn—$1,000,000

A welcome point for visitors sampling the farm's bounty, the barn is home to our weekly farm stand, monthly barn dance, and other community workshops and events.

Farm Field—$1,000,000

This 3-acre pie-shaped slice of fertile ground stages our hands-on instruction in sustainable production methods.

Classroom—$500,000

The stand-alone Hunting Lodge and Trophy Room hosts indoor education and serves as a multipurpose gathering space for Pie Ranch students, farmers and visitors.

For more information about the Reach for the Pie! Capital Campaign contact Jered Lawson or phone (650)879-0995.