Ben grew up in West Los Angeles and is a second generation Angelino. His mom is an interior designer, and his dad always worked in non-profits, and both of those roles influenced Ben to find his passions in the world of creativity and impact, which eventually led him to his current venture of intentional landscape design.

Prior to his career in edible landscaping and sustainability, Ben discovered his love of the outdoors from his experience with Outward Bound, a 3.5 month intense outdoor experience. That led him to work for many years in the outdoor industry, moving from retail to wholesale, and from merchandising to marketing and design. Some of the companies include Adventure16, Doc’s Ski & Sports, Nike, Icebreaker, and Kleen Kanteen. That experience took him from California to Washington and even to China where he visited a production facility.

Ben Hirschfeld, also known to the preschoolers he teaches as “Farmer Ben”, currently works to transform regular landscapes into edible, sustainable, and inspiring outdoor communal areas. He is passionate about changing the carbon footprint of LA, and starting hyper-local food security systems. He also has experience and is currently teaching garden classes at local schools, and loves educating others about the impact they’re having on the world. Along with his huge list of urban transformation projects, he has also worked with Mar Vista restaurant, Little Fatty, and local artists to build a bridge between the restaurant scene and the art community by having monthly gallery nights at the restaurant. One of Ben’s proudest projects is Little City Farm, a collaboration between homeowner and a restaurant, where a 100-year-old tennis court was replaced by a thriving residential urban farm. LCF currently hosts events and provides produce to their restaurant partner.