When the Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund and its partners were ready to launch the Vermont Farm to Plate (F2P) Network, they recognized that they needed to build the understanding of network approaches among people in the food system who would be leaders in implementing a network. New Directions Collaborative, in partnership with the Interaction Institute for Social Change, facilitated an interactive one-day training session for about 30 key food system leaders to enhance their understanding of networks, through a mix of theory (e.g., types of networks, criteria of network health,) case examples from context’s similar to Farm to Plate, and tools and hands-on exercises to apply these concepts. The session also provided valuable input for planning the first “F2P Network Gathering” and network training about a month after the workshop.