Sarah Grueneberg is the 2017 James Beard Foundation Award-winning chef/partner of Monteverde Restaurant & Pastificio in Chicago, and the author of the 2022 book Listen To Your Vegetables. Born in Houston and raised in Victoria, Texas, Grueneberg started her culinary career at Brennan’s of Houston and by 2003 was named the restaurant’s youngest-ever female sous chef. Her travels to Italy and throughout Europe, Asia, and the United States inspired her culinary approach of “following the food.” Ultimately she ended up in Chicago in 2005 to join the team of Spiaggia under Chef Tony Mantuano. After ascending to executive chef in 2010, she opened Monteverde with partner Meg Sahs in 2015, winning the Beard award for Best Chef: Great Lakes in 2017. Grueneberg was a finalist on Top Chef: Texas and Iron Chef Gauntlet, and Monteverde was named best new restaurant by Food & Wine, Bon Appetit, Eater, and GQ. The restaurant also won Restaurant of the Year in the 2018 Jean Banchet Awards.