Chef Sara Turney founded Hearthara Culinary on a simple but powerful belief: talent should never be limited by access.

After spending decades working alongside incredibly gifted creatives with brilliant ideas but no clear path forward, Sara saw a recurring pattern—lack of access to knowledge, skills, and funding was keeping great ideas from becoming sustainable businesses that could strengthen their communities. Having previously founded Elva’s Kitchen Initiative, a nonprofit focused on food security, it became clear that the barriers people face in accessing food are often the very same barriers they face in building food-based businesses.

With over 20 years in the food and beverage industry, Sara made the intentional decision to build something of her own—placing ethics, education, and access at the forefront. After spending years developing and scaling major corporations, the question became: Why not use that experience to build a company that does things differently?

Food has always been at the heart of this journey. Raised in the kitchen and inspired by her grandmother, she was quite literally making biscuits before she could walk. That early love grew into a career spanning executive chef roles and food & beverage operations leadership for national brands, luxury remote travel resorts, award-winning festivals, restaurants, and breweries. Her experience ranges from burgers and beer to Michelin-rated dining programs—bringing a rare depth and diversity that allows her to approach every challenge with creativity, confidence, and clarity.

For six years, she also served as an international culinary J-1 instructor, mentoring students from around the world as they became industry professionals. While her culinary roots lie in Southern and Appalachian cuisine, her background in international cooking allows her to elevate tradition into something refined, modern, and deeply personal—what she calls soul food with a modern twist.

What truly sets Hearthara Culinary apart is not just technical skill, but vision. From designing and producing some of the nation’s largest award-winning food and beverage festivals to managing complex, high-volume operations, there are very few problems she hasn’t solved. Clients describe working with her as fun, caring, highly organized, and deeply thorough—someone who leaves no stone unturned.

Hearthara Culinary exists to serve anyone with a need, a challenge, or a dream in the food and beverage space. Whether that’s creating unforgettable events, supporting business growth, or helping ideas become reality, the goal is always the same: connection, storytelling, accessibility, and impact.

A mother of three sons—each a culinarian themselves—this work is deeply personal. Building Hearthara Culinary is about creating a family legacy while strengthening the community one business at a time. When she’s not in the kitchen, you’ll find her hiking with her Great Dane, tending her garden, painting, crocheting, and surrounding herself with plants—always creating, always growing.

The long-term vision is bold and intentional: to open a commissary kitchen and incubator that supports food trucks, caterers, private chefs, and emerging food brands—providing the tools, access, and mentorship needed to thrive.

At Hearthara Culinary, success isn’t just measured by great food—it’s measured by empowered people, realized dreams, and lasting impact.