This month’s Cedar Falls Food Co-op Member spotlight is Tara Sundt.
Tara Sundt grew up in Washburn with her parents and brother, attending elementary school in Washburn and then high school in Waterloo. After graduation, she went into the Army where she was stationed in various places such as Fort Meade, Camp Jackson, Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah, GA as well as in Hungary. After eight years of service, Tara attended the University of Northern Iowa and received her degree in Computer Science. She went to work at DISTek Integration, Inc. and then on to the Electronics Enterprise group at John Deere where she is currently employed, working on the software for tractors.
Tara loves the feeling of belonging and familiarity of the Cedar Valley community where she’s grown up. She enjoys activities such as Movies under the Moon and Live to 9 in Cedar Falls. Some of her favorite places to frequent are Cup of Joe, Sidecar Coffee, SingleSpeed Brewing, Montage and Whiskey Road – she adds, “anyplace on Main Street in Cedar Falls”.
In her free time, Tara enjoys a variety of outdoor activities. She has participated in adventure triathlons and the Rugged Toad Adventure Triathlon that involve mountain biking, running on trails and kayaking. In addition, she’s been involved with Nature Force, a women-only training group and has participated in run clubs organized by the Runner’s Flat. Tara also enjoys making her own salads, in particular, her own salad dressings where she’s experimented with using fruits such as apples and strawberries. She likes trying out new recipes, for example, pumpkin chili and a variety of curry soups. Her favorite season is fall because of the changing leaves and football games. The only downside to fall, she says, are the shorter days.
With the Cedar Falls Food Co-op, Tara is anticipating an atmosphere similar to the Roots market and the New Pioneer Food Co-op. She enjoys the access to local produce as well as the activities and cooking classes offered. In particular, Tara is looking forward to having a deli which offers healthy, convenient options such as pre-made salads and sandwiches. Overall, she is proud to be a member of the Cedar Falls Food Co-op.