Sarah Grueneberg

Sarah Grueneberg
Born	Houston, Texas, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Chef, restaurateur
Known for	Executive chef at Spiaggia; proprietor of Monteverde Restaurant & Pastificio; runner-up on Top Chef season 9; Best Chef Great Lakes (James Beard Foundation, 2017)

Sarah Grueneberg is a renowned American chef and proprietor of Monteverde Restaurant & Pastificio located in Chicago. During her tenure as executive chef at Spiaggia, she successfully upheld the restaurant's Michelin star status for three straight years. In 2017, the James Beard Foundation recognized her as the Best Chef in the Great Lakes region. Grueneberg was the runner-up on the ninth season of Top Chef and also participated in the debut season of Iron Chef Gauntlet.

Career

Born and raised in Houston, Texas, Grueneberg cultivated her passion for cooking alongside her German grandparents. She earned an associate degree in applied science from The Art Institute of Houston in 2001.

Following her education, she began working at Brennan's of Houston and was promoted to sous chef by 2003. In 2005, she joined Spiaggia under the leadership of chef Tony Mantuano, progressing to purchasing sous chef in 2007 and then to Chef di Cucina in 2008. By 2010, she had ascended to executive chef, a role during which Spiaggia maintained its Michelin star for three consecutive years. Grueneberg secured second place on Bravo TV's ninth season of Top Chef.

In 2016, together with partner Meg Sahs, Grueneberg opened Monteverde Restaurant & Pastificio, specializing in Italian fare. The establishment quickly earned critical praise and played a significant role in her receiving the James Beard Award for Best Chef Great Lakes in 2017. That same year, she competed on Iron Chef Gauntlet. Prior to these achievements, she won the inaugural episode of Beat Bobby Flay in 2013.