Farmer’s Fridge Founder Makes Healthy Food Accessible COMMENCEMENT SPEAKER LUKE SAUNDERS ’04

Shares His Wisdom

smooth. After graduating from Washington University in St. Louis in the aftermath of the 2008 recession, he took a job back at his family’s grease lubricating plant, driving a forklift while his friends worked on Wall Street.

Saunders became a traveling salesman and grew frustrated not finding healthy food options on the road. He floated an idea — vending machines filled with healthy food. Many told him that it would never work. People didn’t want to eat well, the naysayers argued. Saunders was convinced they were wrong. What people didn’t want was tasteless, expensive, inconvenient food. Once he presented a solution that addressed those problems, he found success. “We have sold millions of meals to all kinds of consumers all over the United States. Don’t let other people define you,” he advised the graduating seniors.

He also argued for building powerful teams. “You need a team to do anything great,” Saunders told the audience. “At Cushing I was given the opportunity to play on great teams.” Now he has 270 employees.

The start might have been tough, but success has come. Saunders has been named to Fast Company’s 100 Most Creative People in Business (2019), Chicago Crain’s Business 40 Under 40 (2018), and Forbes 30 Under 30 (2016). At Commencement he received the 2022 Cushing Academy Leadership Award.

A home garden still matters to Saunders. On his rooftop in Chicago, he grows raspberries so ripe they fall apart when picked. But when Saunders travels, he knows that, thanks to his hard work and vision, he can find a caprese salad or a truffle couscous bowl at Farmer’s Fridge in 20 states.

The End Of The Year

at Cushing always includes a chance to recognize the abundance of talent among the students. One particular gift is getting to hear how well the faculty know their students. This speech is just one example:

“I met the recipient of the Bette Davis Award during his freshman year when we were casting West Side Story. We were recruiting athletes and I asked him if he would play a small part. ‘I can’t sing,’ he said. To which I replied: ‘Well that’s funny, because this isn’t a big singing role.’ ‘Ms. Ohm, I just want to do hockey — I don’t want to complicate my life by trying to do two afternoon commitments.’ We all know how that went … four years later he’s majoring in theatre at Emerson College and pursuing a degree in acting. Loyal, hardworking, and a salt of the earth young man, I could say, ‘They don’t make ‘em like this anymore.’ But they do... the Bette Davis Award for Excellence in Theatre goes to William Lessard.”

—Julia

Ohm, Chair, Performing Arts Department