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Finding Inspiration in Wild Places with Community Table Chef Sarah Glover

Ahead of her highly anticipated Community Table dinner, we spoke with Chef Sarah about the heritage that informs her cooking, the core values behind her culinary style, and the importance of eating with the future in mind.

Internationally recognized chef and author Sarah Glover has blazed a trail in the culinary realm. Amid a career of culinary escapades in her native Australia, her adopted home of the U.S., and everywhere in between, Sarah has published two award-winning cookbooks (with a third on the way), cooked for the likes of Martha Stewart and Gordon Ramsay, and established a successful global brand around creating world-class sustainable fare.

Read our conversation with Chef Sarah below, and click here to get tickets to her upcoming Community Table dinner with fellow chef Juan Peralta Ramos.

The Ecology Center: What first sparked your imagination regarding local seasonal ingredients?

Chef Sarah: I grew up in Tasmania, Australia and I come from a long line of farmers and fishermen. It was integrated in my blood to honor the small producers and their hard work, passion and drive to be honest and deliver an authentic product.

The Ecology Center: What drives your passion for regenerative cuisine?

Chef Sarah: Community, coversaton, education, and empowerment are some core values for me. It’s vital for our world’s future that we eat local and seasonal food. It goes full circle for the planet’s well-being and ensures a future for the next generation.

The Ecology Center: How has a regenerative ethos developed your cooking?

Chef Sarah: My art has absolutely become more conscious and aware of the full narrative.

The Ecology Center: What do you see as one of the culinary industry’s biggest challenges to caring for the earth?

Chef Sarah: Waste. There are so many ways we can input systems to stop waste, but it requires manpower, and often people are not willing to pay for this. But the joke is on them, because it will cost them in the end. We must have long-term vision or we are doomed to consumerism and all the problems that breeds.

The Ecology Center: How can the culinary industry do a better job of caring for people?

Chef Sarah: It can start by caring for their customers and believing in the intrinsic value of each person that walks into their business. That one makes a huge difference.

The Ecology Center: If you could change one aspect of our current food system or culture through your work, what would it be?

Chef Sarah: It would be ending food waste and utilizing fresh, raw ingredients. I find so many people opt for convenience that, in the end, leads to more issues, as “convenience food” is packed full of preservatives and nasties. Eat fresh, eat less, be intentional, and always remember to think beyond the now—how will this impact my future?

The Ecology Center: When you imagine a food culture that cares for the earth, cares for people, and shares abundance with those in need, what does it look like to you?

Chef Sarah: It looks like a holistic return to the way we were created to live as a human race. We ultimately create to fulfill a deep desire to connect with life and love.