About Sara
Food has always been such an important part of my life. For as long as I can remember, I’ve loved everything about it. Cooking it, obviously eating it and especially the conversations I’ve shared around the table with the people who matter most to me. If food were a love language, it would most certainly be mine.
CULINARY EDUCATION
Midwest Culinary Institute
Associate Degree in Culinary Arts
Personal Chef Certificate
WHAT I DO
Recipe Development
Food Photography
Food Writing
My Culinary Roots
Some of my earliest childhood memories are sitting in the kitchen watching my grandmother as she breaded and delicately pan-fried thin strips of chicken, or staring at my mother’s hands as she dried long strands of ribboned noodles on giant towels sprawled out on the counter for her lasagna. Decades later, I can close my eyes and almost smell those moments from my life.
So, it seemed like a reasonable decision when I changed my studies in college from Early Childhood Education to focus on all things culinary. In 2009, I graduated from the Midwest Culinary Institute with a degree in Culinary Arts and a Personal Chef Certificate.
My aspirations of working my way up in a restaurant or becoming a private chef were soon outweighed by my desire to start a family and my hope of being home to raise my children full-time.
My Family
Pictured here are my husband, Gordon, & our three children, Emma, Mikey, & Cooper. To say that being a mother has fulfilled me would be an understatement. It’s been such a meaningful part of my life.
While my days looked different from the culinary career I once imagined, my love of cooking never changed. Even with three little ones running around, I was determined to keep cooking the things I loved, whether that meant making crustless Nutella sandwiches for my little Coop or attempting a gourmet meal in the middle of complete chaos. Food has always remained at the center of it all.
When Gordon & I married, my mom gave me a sign that read, “The fondest memories are made when gathered around the table.” It had a place in our first home & all these years later, I couldn’t agree more.
Cook What Matters
As my children have grown older and become more and more independent, I’ve found myself with little pockets of time that weren’t always there. It was during this shift in our family life that I began wondering what might be next for me.
For years, family and friends had encouraged me to share my recipes, culinary knowledge and ideas for entertaining. The more I thought about it, the more I realized I could bring together everything I love about food, cooking, baking, writing and gathering all in one place.
And so, here we are. My hope is that Cook What Matters inspires you to make delicious food, bring people together and create moments that matter long after the table has been cleared.