Legacy Podcast - Sarah Grueneberg

An interview with Sarah Grueneberg, Chef and Founder of Monteverde Restaurant

In this episode of Chapter's Legacy Podcast, Ari Parker interviews Sarah Grueneberg, chef and founder of Monteverde Restaurant in Chicago to understand her personal view of legacy through food, memories, and mentorship.

Three Things You'll Learn

1. Why Sarah decided to compete in the 9th season of Top Chef.

2. What Sarah means when she says vegetables talk to her.

3. How Sarah views and deals with failure.

A summary of the episode

Sarah’s love for cooking as a way to care for those around her is what sparked her career, and continues to drive her today.

Sarah has received many accolades, one of which is winning second place on the 9th season of Top Chef. She shares that the experience on the show has provided a lot of visibility for her and her restaurant, and it has posed challenges as well:

“You have one chance to wow someone when they come to eat. . . . People think they know you [as a celebrity chef] and they have really high expectations.” 

Sarah points out that a restaurant isn’t just the chef but a whole team. Sometimes teams struggle and fail. The important thing, Sarah reflects, is that they see mistakes as an opportunity to grow. The example she offers is how one of their popular dishes, meatball ravioli, was inspired by a mistake.

Recently, Sarah has noticed a shift in her goals. She’s ready to step outside her comfort zone. She’s dreaming about growing her restaurant again, after the pandemic put that idea on pause and her book “Listen to Your Vegetables” will be published in October.

“Legacy for me as a chef [is] that I was able to instill [in others] a philosophy [about] what we do on a regular basis, why we cook. . . . I would love to see young chefs that I’ve worked with . . . keep growing.”

Learn more about chef and founder, Sarah Grueneberg:

• Monteverde’s website 

• Sarah Grueneberg’s LinkedIn 

• Sarah Grueneberg’s book, “Listen to Your Vegetables”