Daniela Craciun

From a little princess to the queen of her garden

Long before Future Sprouts had a name, its first seeds were planted in my childhood in Romania.

Daniela Craciun on her Florida farm, standing among young fruit trees in warm afternoon light — Daniela Craciun · founder, Future Sprouts

Romania Bologna, Italy Naples, Florida More than 30 years in food Cornell — Nutrition & Healthy Living

The experience behind Future Sprouts

Kitchen to classroom

More than 30 years: A working life in the food industry; Cooking for my whole family in Romania from a very young age, then nine years alongside exceptional chefs in Bologna, then eight years running my own restaurant.
2009 – 2017: Daniela's Restaurant, Naples; Opened with my sister Cory one year after arriving in America, and cooked for this community for eight years.
2017: 2.27 acres, and I started planting; Hundreds of fruit trees, more than 30 chickens, ducks, and plenty of visiting wildlife.
2020: eCornell, Cornell University; Certificate in Nutrition and Healthy Living.
2021: Collier Fruit Growers; First serving as President, later as Treasurer.
2025: Healthy Living Collaboration; Helping build and support gardens in Lee County schools.

A modest family vegetable garden beside apartment blocks, rows of beans and tomatoes in evening light — Romania · the garden I avoided

The garden I avoided, and the kitchen I loved

I grew up during the communist era, when families learned to be resourceful and food was closely connected to the land. We lived in an apartment block, but nearby our family had a garden where we grew food.

Did I love gardening?

Absolutely not. 😂 I was much more of a little princess.

But the kitchen? That was different. From a very young age, I was already cooking meals for my entire family. Cooking became a passion that would eventually grow into more than 30 years of experience in the food industry.

I discovered early that cooking and caring for people through food is one of my love languages. ❤️ For me, food has never been just food. It is a way to nurture, connect, celebrate, and bring people together.

I didn't know it then, but one day the garden I avoided and the kitchen I loved would come together.

Hands rolling fresh pasta on a floured wooden board in a traditional Italian kitchen — Bologna, Italy · nine years

From Romania to Italy

My journey took me to Bologna, Italy, where I lived for nine years and had the opportunity to work alongside exceptional chefs. There, I deepened my love for cooking, beautiful ingredients, and tradition.

Tradition matters deeply to me because food carries memories. A smell, a recipe, or a familiar meal can take us home in an instant.

When we teach children to cook, we aren't simply teaching them how to prepare food. We are passing along stories, cultures, traditions, and memories from one generation to the next.

A long restaurant table set for a shared meal, dishes being passed between guests — Daniela's Restaurant · 2009–2017

A new beginning in America

In 2008, I moved to the United States without speaking English. One year later, in September 2009, my sister Cory and I opened Daniela's Restaurant.

Yes. One year in America. Very little English. And apparently I thought opening a restaurant would make life easier. 😂

For eight years, I cooked for my community, shared traditions from my European roots, and experienced firsthand how food can bring people together around the same table.

Then, in 2017, I bought 2.27 acres

Something the little princess never predicted

I bought a home on 2.27 acres of land.

And I started planting. And planting. And planting.

Apparently, after avoiding the garden as a child, I had a lot of catching up to do. 😂

Over the years, I planted hundreds of fruit trees and created a home surrounded by gardens, more than 30 chickens, ducks, and plenty of visiting wildlife.

My love for growing also led me deeper into our local gardening community. In 2021, I joined the Collier Fruit Growers, first serving as President and later as Treasurer.

Rows of young tropical fruit trees on a Florida farm with chickens moving between them — Hundreds of fruit trees · 30+ chickens · ducks · wildlife

What began with planting a few trees somehow turned into hundreds of fruit trees, community leadership, and me talking about plants everywhere I go. 😂🌱

Apparently, once I finally started gardening, I really did forget how to stop. The little princess who didn't want to garden had officially become…

the queen taking care of her garden. 👑🌱

Mom was right about the garden after all. ❤️

When the world stopped, I kept learning

2020 · eCornell, Cornell University

In 2020, when the world seemed to stop because of COVID-19, I decided to keep growing. I continued my education through eCornell, Cornell University, completing a certificate in Nutrition and Healthy Living.

It added another piece to a journey that had already taken me from family kitchens in Romania, to professional kitchens in Italy, to owning a restaurant in America, and finally back to the soil.

Life has a funny way of bringing you back to the garden you tried to escape as a child.

From the garden to the classroom

2025 · Healthy Living Collaboration

In 2025, I made a very intentional decision to join the Healthy Living Collaboration, helping build and support gardens in Lee County schools.

I took the position because I already knew how important it is to teach children where their food comes from, how to grow it, how to prepare it, and how to care for the earth that provides it.

After more than 30 years in the food industry, years of growing my own food, and continuing my education in nutrition, I wanted to take what I had learned and give it to the next generation.

There is something pretty magical about watching a child put their hands in the soil, plant a tiny seed, care for it, harvest it, and proudly say: “I grew this!” 🌱

Working in the school gardens didn't create the dream — it helped me see how much bigger the dream could become.

Schoolchildren kneeling beside a garden bed with an educator, planting seedlings into prepared soil — School gardens · Lee County

Suddenly, all the pieces of my life had a place.

Romania. Italy. More than 30 years in food. Cooking. Tradition. The restaurant. My 2.27 acres. Nutrition. Fruit growing. School gardens. Children. Community. Mother Earth.

And those pieces became part of the foundation for Future Sprouts.

Why do I do this?

The legacy

I want to leave a legacy — a better world for the children of tomorrow, and something meaningful for my three daughters to carry forward.

The funny part is, they might not know it yet. 😂 Just like I didn’t know when my mom sent me into the garden as a little girl in Romania. I didn’t even like the chickens back then! And now one of my favorite things is coming home and watching my chickens and ducks run to greet me. 🐓🦆❤️

Now, through Future Sprouts, I get to plant those seeds in another generation.

That’s the legacy. 🌱

Sometimes the seeds planted in childhood take years to understand.

Future Sprouts

A lifetime, one dream

Future Sprouts grew from a lifetime of experiences and one simple dream: to give children opportunities to grow food, prepare meals from scratch, connect with nature, preserve traditions, develop practical life skills, care for Mother Earth, and discover what they are capable of creating with their own hands.

I want children to experience the whole beautiful circle:

Plant a seed. Prepare a meal. Plant a tree. Nurture a child. Grow the future.

Seed
Soil
Water
Sun
Food
Kitchen
Table
Family
Community

And perhaps one day, a child who says “I don't like gardening!” will surprise themselves too. 😂 I certainly did.

Because sometimes the seeds planted in childhood simply need a little more time to grow.

— Daniela Craciun
Founder, Future Sprouts

Come and grow something with us.

Explore our programs Get involved