Our Team

Founder and Executive Director

Sarah has always loved cooking, teaching, and helping the planet, and she combined all three when she founded Little Chefs, Big Change. With a masters from Cornell and years of experience managing after-school cooking programs, Sarah knows how to make healthy eating fun and accessible for kids. Sarah started teaching cooking classes in 2015, inspiring students and families to try new foods and make veggies taste delicious. Over the years, Sarah has compiled many kid-approved recipes and has developed the ability to teach kids how to cook pretty much anywhere- a school kitchen, a classroom, a cafeteria, outside…give her an electrical outlet and a group of kids, and dinner will be ready an hour later! At home, her favorite taste-testers are her kids, Emory and Simon.

Director of Research

Lori is an anthropologist and a writer living in Chicago, IL. Lori loves cooking and exploring new foods with her 6-year-old daughter. She strongly believes that every person deserves access to healthy, fulfilling, and culturally relevant food and she loves sharing her dedication to food equity with Little Chefs, Big Change. As Director of Research, Lori oversees program evaluation and research activities. She serves as a critical link between LCBC and the community, ensuring that our programs are grounded in evidence-based best practices. Lori’s work focuses on continuously improving LCBC’s programming to meet student needs, reflect community priorities, and effectively communicate our impact through grant applications. She is also dedicated to sharing the insights we gather back with the communities we serve.

Research Coordinator

As our Research Coordinator, Rebekah gathers on-the-ground insights through surveys, interviews, and data collection while working closely with students, families, and partners. Rebekah’s work ensures our programs reflect the needs and desires of the communities they serve. Rebekah is also a Certified Professional Midwife, an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant, and has a Master’s in Public Health from the University of Tennessee. She’s passionate about empowering individuals and families—whether through health education, research, or cooking programs—and thrives on finding creative ways to make a positive impact. And with four teenagers at home, Rebekah has had plenty of hands-on experience cooking with kids!

Our incredible volunteers are the heart of Little Chefs, Big Change. They are essential to safely running our cooking classes, providing the adult support needed to ensure every session is fun, engaging, and impactful. But their contributions go beyond supervision—they help create a sense of community, inspire kids to try new things, and learn valuable leadership, teaching and cooking skills along the way.

In fall 2024, our volunteers have contributed over 500 hours of service during after-school cooking classes. Their dedication saves us thousands in personnel costs, allowing us to direct even more resources toward providing healthy food and education to kids and families.

We couldn’t do this work without them—thank you to the many hands that make every class a success!