Sarah Schafer , executive chef at Humble Spirit, values creating a culture of learning, talent development, and collaboration while effectively leading a team.

A Boston native, she graduated from Culinary Institute of America and counts Ken Oringer as one of her early mentors. Ken's encouragement motivated her to "go all in” and make the move from Boston to NY.

As the youngest and first female sous chef at Gramercy Tavern, Sarah honed her skills working alongside Chef Tom Colicchoio. She then made a move to help open the distinguished Eleven Madison Park as the Executive Sous Chef. Sarah's passion for fresh & local produce grew in her weekly walks to the union squares green market with a hand cart in tow.

Feeling like she had done all she could in NY, Sarah took the advice of Danny Meyer to work under Daniel Patterson in San Fransisco at Frisson as Chef de Cuisine. This role exposed her to the world of essential oils and molecular gastronomy.

From Frisson, Sarah joined the Rosenthal Brothers to open Anchor & Hope with a focus on the slow process of cooking food.

From the Bay Area, Sarah moved north to take on a first for her - the opportunity to run a restaurant of her own: Irving Street Kitchen. there, Sarah began making connections with local farms and developed a deeper understanding about the bounty of Oregon agriculture.

After ten years of Irving Street Kitchen, Sarah and ISK general manager Anna Caporael joined again to launch their newest venture - Cooperativa, a sprawling market with Italian foods & goods, aiming to replicate a gastronomic ecosystem that flourished as a result of partnering with farmers and artisanal producers.

In 2023, the Humble Spirit crew welcomed Sarah with open arms.

As a newbie to the valley, Sarah is looking forward to continuing the tradition of growing her grandfathers heirloom tomatoes, tending her bonsais and spoiling her pug George.