Millions of kids go to bed hungry each night. Lori Golding Zontini was one of them, growing up in Norfolk, Va.
“Food wasn’t always there,” said Golding Zontini, 52. “My mom had lots of health issues. She used to lock up the pantry because we didn’t have a lot of food, so I would hide food underneath my bed. Jewish Family Services came over during the High Holidays to give us food.”
Golding Zontini, who refers to herself as “100 percent Ashkenazi Jew,” now devotes much of her energy to combating food insecurity in the community and supporting sustainable farming.
She is the executive director of the Ghent Farmer’s Market in Norfolk, and the Old Beach Farmer’s Market and King’s Grant Farmer’s Market, both of which serve Virginia Beach.
When Golding Zontini is preparing to celebrate Jewish holidays, food often takes center stage.
As a person who once faced a lack of food, it’s an important cause for her. She spearheads an annual food drive each June, working with the Virginia Beach Judeo-Christian Outreach Center. In 2026, the drive netted 3,700 pounds of nonperishable food, the largest amount it has collected in nine years since the initiative began.
She is also chair of the local community grant commission. In addition to her volunteer work, she operates a boutique marketing firm, BirdMad Media, with her husband, John Zontini. The company advocates for causes the Zontinis care about, like fighting hunger. She is a busy entrepreneur, frequently buzzing around town on her bike to shoot photos for clients.
Her motto? “Everyone must eat.”
While Virginia Beach has an average household income of $94,931, in this coastal community not everyone can afford to feed their family.
“I have all these platforms, and I was able to give back. I could give people food and bring awareness to food insecurity,” she said.
‘About giving back and caring’
At age 14, Golding Zontini got her first job at Cindy’s Cinnamon Buns. Two years later, she moved out of Norfolk and headed to the beach. She didn’t finish high school but had plenty of street smarts. Eventually, she found steady work bartending and booking music. That experience came in handy later, as she regularly showcases local musicians at the farmer’s markets.
The vendors who sell their wares at the Virginia Beach and Norfolk farmer’s markets represent a diverse group of food purveyors. There are traditional produce sellers, a fishmonger and independent bakers, a pickling specialist and peanut butter creator.
Hours before the weekly market opens to the public, Golding Zontini is on hand to organize the stands. She said it’s like a large-scale Tetris puzzle.
In addition to running the show, she sells her own artisanal product: fig jam. She began making it a decade ago, using the figs that grew on a tree outside her house. She kept asking to be included and eventually, her business, “It Started With a Fig,” was accepted to the farmer’s market.
“I started with the market in Norfolk and then went to Old Beach,” she said. “Then I was asked to be on the board, and eventually the former executive director became sick, and we were all sitting around the table. I had already started doing marketing videos for them. And they said, ‘Who is going to run Old Beach?’ Everybody was looking at me.”
It was an easy decision, and she relished the challenge. In 2024, Golding Zontini was a local Women in Business honoree. She has been recognized by the governor for her volunteer work. According to Mark Stevens, who owns Zero’s sub shop in Virginia Beach, the accolades come because she supports the entire community.
“It’s not just the farmer’s markets, but also the things she does that are over and above, like the food drive,” Stevens said. “She helps bring people together and makes sure people who need it get food. It’s about giving back and caring about the community.”
Golding Zontini said her overarching goal is to address food deserts and seek long-term solutions.
“Every day I get up is a blessing,” she said. “I get another chance to hug someone. I get to do all the things I love to do—to help someone with their business and to incorporate food. I get to hop in my Jeep or ride my bike, put on my cap, go to the beach, and help people at the farmer’s markets and help people with food.
And as far as the city itself goes, “I help give grants to people to help them help people,” she said. “I love everything I do. How many people can say that?”
