Chef Sara, Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow
When Chef Sara Boan came to us in 2016, we had no idea how much she would come to truly embody Catskill Animal Sanctuary. Some of the strongest pillars of our message are “Lead with Love,” and “Love Spoken Here,” and if any of us have truly taken those messages to heart, it’s Sara.
Sara came decorated with degrees and certificates from Ohio University, The Natural Gourmet Institute for Health and Culinary Arts, and the Academy of Culinary Nutrition. After years of fueling her passion for cooking and baking in her mother’s and grandmothers’ kitchens, she spent two years as a pastry chef before joining us at Catskill Animal Sanctuary. Armed with extensive knowledge of home-grown ingredients, vegan culinary tricks, and an undying passion for farmed animals, Sara elevated our Compassionate Cuisine program to new heights with a smile and an attitude that simply is Love.
Whether she’s leading award-winning cooking classes or being the face of Compassionate Cuisine on the weekends in Peabody’s Place, Sara brings people to the table of Veganism with a smile and—most importantly—with delectable vegan offerings that raise the eyebrows of even the biggest veg-skeptics, and she does it with all the warmth of the summer sun.
Sara has done so much for the Sanctuary and has helped so many folks on their journey to veganism, so when we learned of her plans for departure, we wondered who would take it harder, Kathy Stevens, Chef Linda, Scout the sheep, or her dedicated cooking class students…
In any organization, people come and go and pursue new passions, but we’d be lying if we didn’t say we will deeply miss her. We know in our hearts, though, that even if the physical distance grows between us, the heartbeat of CAS and our mission will stay with her, and we won’t be surprised when we turn the corner and find her visiting for a turkey snuggle.
We all love you, Chef Sara!
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I’m with you. Sara will be so missed for all the reasons that you write about. Her passion, COMpassion, and yes, sunshine, along with her awesome, vegan recipes and teaching skills (loved all her ‘btw’s’ and cooking ‘hints’) made her not only the bestest instructor but the most special of people. She will be doing great things and i know continue to be part of CAS…. just in a different way.
Couldn’t have said it better! Sara is definitely a permanent member of our CAS family! We all look forward to seeing her here as a visitor <3
Oh no! I really loved coming to CAS and watching your demos. I will really miss you Chef Sara! Good luck in your future endeavors!
A Sara-shaped hole with always exist here until she comes back as a visitor <3 We have loved learning from her and watching her grow over the past few years!
I wish our first cooking class wasn’t the only one with you. We had a great time at the Thanksgiving demo/ meal. Wishing you all the best! you’re clearly very talented.
We completely agree, Sara is very talented and she will be dearly missed <3 We're so happy Compassionate Cuisine made an impact on you <3
Warmly,
The Whole CAS Team
I had the great fortune to take two classes from Sara.I can’t believe how much I learned from her in such a short time. More importantly , I was lucky enough to sit and feel the warmth and passion she has for her craft and the beautiful souls at the sanctuary. In my 60 plus years on the planet I have crossed paths with many people. Sara is definitely one of the most special I have ever met. I wish her much luck in all her future endeavors! Keep shining your light Sara , the world needs more people like you .
Thank you, Wendy. We are all so sad to see her go but so proud of all she has accomplished here. We know she’ll go on to shine her light in new places and we look forward to seeing her visit with the animals in the future!
My vegan journey began with my Reiki III Master Teacher weekend with Kathleen Prasad at CAS four years ago, and Compassionate Cuisine is now well used! Many blessings for joy, love and light!
That’s great, Laurie! We’re so happy to hear that Compassionate Cuisine has been a part of your journey. Thank you for the blessings! We send them back to you as well 🙂
Warmly,
The Whole CAS Team