Chaitanya York grew up in Androscoggin and Cumberland Counties in Maine. As a child, he helped out on his grandparents' farm. He lived in New York City for a brief period of time before moving back to Maine and graduating from the University of Southern Maine. He started farming in Union, Maine in the 1970s and was the founding director of the Commonground Country Fair. He also helped to organize the Lincoln and Knox County chapters of the Maine Organic Farmers' and Gardeners' Association. He was living in Leeds, Maine in 2001.