Leslie Shalabi is co-founder of Convivium Urban Farmstead, a Dubuque-based nonprofit organization based on the idea of creating community around food. A lifelong lover of food and entertainment, she is dedicated to helping people find ways to connect through the universal languages of food and hospitality.

Shalabi was born in Sauk City, Wis., and is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she earned a double major in journalism and anthropology. Her career began in the publishing world, where she worked with trade magazines in the construction industry, eventually transitioning to a leadership role as a partner in an international public relations firm.

After 20 years in the corporate world, Shalabi made a significant career shift to pursue her passion for food and community. This led to the founding of Convivium Urban Farmstead, where she now channels her energy into improving people’s lives through food.

Convivium’s mission is to improve life through food. Located in the North End of Dubuque in two, large renovated greenhouses, Convivium accomplishes its mission through classes spanning all aspects of the food cycle — from seed starting to cooking to composting; demonstrations, such as small-scale gardening techniques and community mapping; and experiences, like eating in the restaurant or taking a garden tour. Convivium opened to the public in March 2017.

Residing on the farmstead with her two dogs, Roscoe and Pip, she enjoys leading a vibrant organization by day and sitting in with rock bands at night.

Tell us about your field and what attracted you to it.

The early part of my career I was a journalist and then transitioned to corporate marketing. What drew me to those fields was the ability to help people connect to each other or topics of interest through stories. Now in my current role as co-founder and executive director of Convivium Urban Farmstead, I am helping connect people through food.

How has your field changed in the time you’ve worked in it? How have you adapted?

I am going to speak specifically about Convivium here. This has been a singular experience for me and our team. There aren’t really any organizations that do everything we do — restaurant, event space, community gardens, culinary and gardening education, nutritional support through our casserole program. I feel like we are constantly adapting and figuring things out. How to bring the most value to our customers, how to make the most impact in the community with limited resources, how to fundraise. I have a saying here: “If plan A doesn’t work, we have the whole rest of the alphabet to go!” There are some instances we’ve make it to plan R or S — but we eventually figured it out.

Is there a person or people who have had a tremendous impact on you?

My father. He was a remarkable person. He immigrated to the United States in 1962 from Palestine with a suitcase of clothes and a few hundred dollars in his pocket. He literally traveled here on a boat. In addition to perseverance and joie de vivre, he taught me to treat every single person I meet with kindness and respect — regardless of station in life.

I have a very vivid memory of a deaf man from my little hometown in Wisconsin. This man was always a bit disheveled and ambled around town “talking” to himself, by gesturing in sign language.

Frankly, as a child I was a little afraid of him. But one time, I saw my dad walk up to him and the man pulled out a small notebook and my dad and he proceeded to have a written conversation with each other. I was astounded. This was a frequent occurrence, my dad told me afterwards.

He encouraged me to think about how lonely that man must be without anyone to talk to. That sort of regard for the unseen or disregarded people in our lives has always stuck with me and informs a lot of the work I do today with Convivium.

Do you have any advice for young people and/or new graduates?

If plan A doesn’t work, you have the whole rest of the alphabet! This is a solution-based approach to life and helps people access their grit, resilience and problem-solving skills. The path between “not knowing” and “knowing” is not a straight line. It is filled with twists, turns and frustrations. And guess what? That’s exactly what learning feels like. So stick with it!

Is there a story or an anecdote that illustrates your philosophy either in life or in your chosen field?

When I first started working in the “real world” my dad told me: Find the hole and fill it. He meant find the places in your organization that need help, refining or that your superiors are struggling with and find a way to be a solution to those problems. That has served me very well through the years.

What have you found to be the most valuable resource for learning? Are you an on-the-job learner or do you prefer another way?

Definitely on-the-job training. There are obviously some professions that require specific academic training, but mostly we learn the specifics of a job while we are doing that job.

Math vs. creativity. People person vs. introvert. Slow and steady vs. quick and nimble. Where do you fall on those divides? Do you believe there even is a divide?

There are these divides, for sure. But there are very few of us who are firmly in one camp or the other and I would put myself in that category. Especially as I get older and see that most things in life fall into a gray area.

When you think of the future, what kind of changes would you like to see in your field? In the broader world?

More connection, less divisiveness.

How has your professional life helped you grow as a person?

I have worked a long time to get to the point in my life where there isn’t much difference between my personal and professional life. Each informs the other. See above.

How do you strike a work/life balance?

What’s that?