Kymmy Stacks

Director of Logistics + Operations

Kymmy brings a strong background in organization, logistics, and event operations to Hearthara Culinary. As the owner of Stacks Event Co., she understands what it takes to keep moving parts organized, people informed, and event operations on track.

At Hearthara, Kymmy serves as the primary point of contact for vendors, overseeing onboarding, communication, compliance, and logistical coordination. Her work helps ensure our vendors have the information and support they need to arrive prepared and succeed.

FOCUS: Vendor Relations • Logistics • Operations • Onboarding + Compliance

CHEF SARA TURNEY

Founder + CEO | Executive Producer

FOCUS: Executive Leadership • Festival & Event Production • Culinary Operations • Destination Hospitality • Food & Beverage Logistics • Tourism Development • Vendor & Small-Business Development • Culinary Programming

I don't believe the most important person in a company is the person with the biggest title. My job is to build the vision, create opportunities, remove obstacles and give talented people what they need to do exceptional work. Hearthara is only as strong as the people who build it.

With more than two decades of experience spanning culinary leadership, hospitality operations, destination tourism and large-scale event production, Chef Sara Turney has built a career at the intersection of food, events, tourism and community development.

Sara began her professional culinary career at 22 with Keeneland Hospitality in Lexington, Kentucky, working her way through the operation to become Sous Chef of CBX Millionaires Row. From the beginning, however, her career was never limited to a single kitchen or position. She frequently worked multiple roles simultaneously, building experience across culinary operations, hospitality and live-event production.

Following Keeneland, Sara joined Danny Wimmer Presents, where she ultimately served as Director of Operations for Southeast initiatives. Her work in the festival industry developed alongside her culinary career, giving her early experience in the complex logistics, food-and-beverage operations and large-scale infrastructure required to produce major live events.

At the same time, Sara continued advancing through restaurant and hospitality leadership. She went on to serve as Executive Chef for numerous restaurant concepts, including Creux, working alongside owner and former NFL player Dougie Allen, and held executive culinary and operational positions with organizations including Aramark, Xanterra and the Komen family.

After her years with Danny Wimmer Presents, Sara returned to the traveling-chef circuit, spending four years specializing in tourism destination dining and development. Her work took her into distinctive hospitality markets across the country, including San Juan, Washington; Alta, Utah; Base Camp Borealis in Alaska; and remote resort destinations throughout the United States.

In Hoonah, Alaska, Sara served in Food & Beverage Operations Management at Icy Strait Point, specializing in excursion dining operations and cultural-preservation initiatives connected to the Tlingit community. That work further developed an approach that continues to influence her projects today: tourism and events should create economic opportunity while respecting the culture, people and stories that make a destination unique.

Sara's career also includes a longstanding commitment to culinary education and industry development. She has served for five years as a J-1 Master Chef Instructor, training international culinary professionals, and received recognition through the James Beard Foundation's leadership programming for her nonprofit work with the Elva's Kitchen Initiative.

As a competitive chef, Sara is a two-time Taste of the Bluegrass Champion and an international food challenge champion.

Today, Sara brings more than two decades of overlapping experience in culinary leadership, festival operations, tourism, hospitality and business development together as Founder and CEO of Hearthara Culinary. She leads the development of festivals, culinary experiences, vendor programs and community-centered initiatives designed to create economic opportunity while connecting food, culture, tourism and storytelling.

Melanie Arnold-Muse

Director of Growth + Strategic Partnerships

FOCUS: Strategic Partnerships • Business Growth • Tourism • Sponsorship Development • Destination Marketing • Community Development

“THE MOST SUCCESSFUL EVENTS DO MORE THAN ATTRACT ATTENDEES—THEY CREATE CONNECTIONS, TELL STORIES AND LEAVE A LASTING IMPACT ON THE COMMUNITIES THEY SERVE.”

With more than 35 years of experience spanning tourism, media, marketing, event development and business growth, Melanie Arnold-Muse has built a career creating partnerships that strengthen communities, support local businesses and turn ideas into experiences with lasting economic and cultural impact.

Melanie began her career with Schurz Communications in Danville, Kentucky, where she discovered a passion for community engagement while contributing to initiatives including the nationally recognized Great American Brass Band Festival.

She later founded and operated a marketing agency in Kentucky’s Lake Cumberland region, spending more than a decade collaborating with tourism organizations, businesses, entertainment venues and national recording artists. Her work encompassed destination marketing, sponsorship development, concert promotion and signature community events including Red, White & Boom and Pumpkin Fest.

Her career eventually took her to Key West and the Florida Keys, where she expanded her expertise in tourism, hospitality and event marketing while working alongside professionals in one of the nation’s most recognizable destination markets.

Across her career, Melanie has developed partnerships and growth initiatives throughout Kentucky, Florida, Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee, bringing together community leaders, businesses, tourism organizations, hospitality professionals and event producers to create initiatives that strengthen local economies and celebrate the communities they serve.

Today, Melanie brings that experience to Hearthara Culinary, leading growth and strategic partnership development. Her work focuses on cultivating relationships with businesses, sponsors, tourism and community organizations, identifying opportunities for sustainable growth, and developing partnerships that expand Hearthara’s ability to create experiences centered around food, storytelling, entrepreneurship and community.

“GOOD LEADERSHIP ISN’T

AT THE TOP OF THE COMPANY.

IT’S THE FOUNDATION.”