In the shadow of downtown Tampa’s glass-and-steel skyline, Meacham Urban Farm is quietly building the kind of food system many people say they want but rarely see up close. On a two-acre patch of earth tucked into Tampa’s Encore neighborhood, rows of organically grown carrots, cauliflower, kale, and sweet potatoes grow where many expect only asphalt and high-rises. Their small on-site farm store connects families directly to the farmers who tend the soil. Sourcing not only from their own fields but also from other small, nearby organic farms, Meacham has become a one-stop shop for nutrient-dense, locally grown food—and a community hub for Tampa residents.
Meacham Urban Farm started in 2017 after Travis Malloy, a chicken farmer from Temple Terrace, approached Joe Dalessio, a vegetable farmer from Lutz, about a grant the Tampa Housing Authority had to turn a two-acre plot downtown into a productive green space. The two farmers joined forces and received the grant and the opportunity to bring something distinctly different to the streets of Tampa – a fully operational farm.
“The initial funding went towards the infrastructure build-out. That was a two-year period of rezoning and building. It was a very long, strenuous process. But once they built the structures, we were able to plant the first vegetables in October 2020,” shared Nicole Kubilins, Head of Marketing and Collaborations for Meacham Urban Farm.
Christina Meacham, principal in 1914 of Tampa’s first African American school, Harlem Academy, inspired the name of Meacham Urban Farm. The school once sat near the property where the farm stands today. That connection has inspired the farm to continue that educational heritage by creating a hands-on educational resource for the community.
That initial vision has been a powerful driving force for founder and owner Joe Dalessio. His goal has been to establish a full-production farm, selling directly to consumers. “We want to build a more resilient food system where people can rely on local organic farms to be their source of food. We not only sell the food that we produce, but we also source from other small organic farms. During the main vegetable season, which is October through May, we’re sourcing a lot from Little Pond Farm in Bushnell and Frog Song Organics outside of Gainesville. We buy produce from them and have it here in our farm store to increase our variety and offerings,” explained Kubilins.
While the initial grant helped establish the farm, it has been completely self-sufficient since, through both events and vegetable sales direct to consumers. “At first, it was through a CSA, community supported agriculture. We transitioned to our on-site farm store, and then along the line, I started hosting events,” said Kubilins.
Their events started to share excess bounty with the community. “We were making tomato sauce, and we had hundreds and hundreds of pounds of tomatoes that we could not sell quick enough. And I was like, ‘We have to do a spaghetti dinner,’” explained Kubilins. That initial dinner grew into elevated four-course farm dinners hosted alongside a local chef. They eventually added Sunday Suppers, a more casual expression served family-style. While the dinners sold out, they’ve decided to simplify their offerings, getting back to their core vision, starting with their annual Harvest Fest.
But Meacham Farm intends to keep the spirit of those early dinners alive in a new way. “I’m working on a cookbook. I want it to be a resource for how people can source locally wherever they are, and how sourcing locally can elevate your daily diet in an easy way. It’s like coming to the farm where we would harvest, prep, cook, serve, eat right here, but giving somebody else the resources and confidence to do it yourself. They have the tools, you can now host your own friends, your own family at home,” shared Kubilins.
The most important thing Meacham Urban Farm has grown on this small sliver of land is community. “People really support us. Not just shopping here every single week to give their families the highest quality food they can, but on an emotional level. Some have been shopping with us since day one. The continued support and the community we’ve built, seeing families grow and kids running around here. That has been truly amazing and something really special,” explained Kubilins.
In a city where most residents still expect their produce to travel hundreds of miles before reaching their plates, Meacham Urban Farm offers a different map: one that starts in living soil, winds past crops and curious children, and ends just a few steps away in a modest farm store. Here, “farm-to-table” isn’t a special-occasion tagline, but a weekly habit. Families choosing nutrient-dense carrots over anonymous ones, neighbors greeting each other between bins of greens, and young visitors learning that food begins with roots, not barcodes. Meacham and its future depend on something beautifully simple: more people deciding to shop local first, and in doing so, nourishing not only their own families but a thriving community right here in the heart of Tampa.
“We not only sell the food that we produce, but we also source from other small organic farms.”
“The continued support and the community we’ve built, seeing families grow and kids running around here. That has been truly amazing and something really special.”