“What would 2020 have looked like if a collaborative network of research, engagement, and outreach across local and regional food system stakeholders, university researchers, and USDA leadership had been in place?” This is the question the Local and Regional Food System (LRFS) Recovery and Resilience project asks as the team reflects upon and examines the lessons, impacts, and successes of the first phase of the LRFS Response to COVID-19 project and frames its future mission. The project focuses on translating lessons learned from local food systems stakeholders during the COVID-19 pandemic and simultaneous social crisis into a specific, long-term collaborative strategy for fostering recovery, and equitable approaches to LRFS resilience.