Sarah R. Labensky

Chef Sarah Labensky has taught culinary arts to community college and university from Arizona to South Korea, and was Founding Director of the Culinary Arts Institute at Mississippi University for Women in Columbus, MS. She has also conducted avocational food and wine classes for many years. Chef Sarah is an experienced restaurant owner/operator, caterer, pastry cook and adventurous traveler. So, what are her favorite foods? To eat: Southeast Asian and Southern-style Soul Food; To prepare: soups, cakes and breads.

Chef Sarah is co-author of the best-selling culinary textbook, On Cooking: A Textbook of Culinary Fundamentals (Prentice Hall, 1995; 6th ed., 2018). She also co-authored On Baking (Pearson Education, 2005; 4th ed., 2020); The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Cooking Techniques and Science; Webster’s New World Dictionary of Culinary Arts; The Prentice Hall Essentials Dictionary of Culinary Art; and Applied Math for Food Service. Chef Sarah has edited or compiled several other cookbooks, and written numerous articles for trade magazines. She is a member of Les Dames d'Escoffier International (LEDI), Past President of the 4,000-member International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP), and a founding member of the Southern Foodways Alliance (SFA).

In her former life, Sarah was a practicing attorney, with a J.D. degree from Vanderbilt University. She also holds a B.S. degree in Political Science and Public Administration from Murray (Kentucky) State University, a Culinary Certificate from Scottsdale (Arizona) Community College plus numerous trade and professional certifications. Sarah is originally from Murray, Kentucky, and has also lived in Mississippi, Arizona, Virginia, Tennessee, and South Korea.