Sarah Grueneberg

Supporting Frankie Lemmon School & Developmental Center.

Monteverde Restaurant & Pastificio

Featured Appearances

Sarah Grueneberg is the James Beard Foundation Award-winning chef/partner of Monteverde Restaurant & Pastificio in Chicago’s West Loop and author of Listen To Your Vegetables. After graduating from culinary school in 2001, she started her first careerchanging job with a position at the iconic Brennan’s of Houston and by 2003 was named the restaurant’s youngest female sous chef. Grueneberg’s ongoing travels have taken her throughout Italy, Asia, Europe and the U.S., inspiring her culinary approach of “following the food” and truly understanding “the dish” by knowing the people and culture that created it.

Grueneberg moved to Chicago in 2005 to join the team at the award-winning Spiaggia under the leadership of Tony Mantuano. Beginning as a line cook, she quickly rose the ranks to Chef di Cucina in 2008 and then Executive Chef in 2010. Grueneberg opened Monteverde in November 2015 and in 2017, she received the James Beard Foundation Award for “Best Chef: Great Lakes” and was a semifinalist for “Outstanding Chef” in the 2019 & 2020 awards.

Monteverde has earned acclaimed reviews from various outlets, including a three-star review from The Chicago Tribune. In 2016, Monteverde was named one of Food & Wine’s “America’s Best Restaurants,” a top 50 finalist in Bon Appetit’s “Best New Restaurants,” Eater’s “21 Best New Restaurants in America,” GQ’s “12 Best New Restaurants,” Eater Chicago’s “Restaurant of the Year,” the “Worth the Wait” award in Chicago Tribune Dining Awards and named one of Chicago Magazine’s “15 Best New Restaurants.” In 2017, Monteverde was named one of “America’s 38 Essential Restaurants” by Eater and then awarded “Restaurant of the Year” in the 2018 Jean Banchet Awards.

TWFE is always one of the highlights of the year for us. We love the whole weekend. On Thursday we love that we are able to fill a room with all our friends and celebrate with incredible wines! The gala was amazing and so fun and special. We love the addition of celebrity chefs!

I think the food is definitely as important as the wine. The opportunity to pair great food and great wine together creates a heightened culinary experience for attendees, and the involvement of our local chefs anchors this event as something special and unique to the Triangle.

There is no drink more synonymous with the word “celebration” and “toast” than champagne. TWFE is about raising our champagne glasses high to celebrate the children and families of Frankie Lemmon and the friendships we’ve made through this event.

For me, it’s a rare and incredibly inspiring experience to be in the same room with so much talent—there are very few local events that can illustrate the power of our food community to come together and make a huge impact

Triangle Wine & Food Experience would not occur without the amazing winemakers, chefs, supporters and volunteers, and more importantly, the Frankie Lemmon School would not exist without them. Everyone who participates with TWFE impacts a child’s life for the better.

Working with Frankie Lemmon for the past 20 years has helped me understand what a gift it is to give back and what a responsibility we have as chefs, Food is a tie that binds, and the opportunity to make a difference in someone’s life is one of the best and most rewarding aspects of this work.

Triangle Wine & Food Experience

Triangle Wine & Food Experience is North Carolina’s premiere wine and food event. Held annually on the first weekend in February, chefs, restaurants, wineries, and spirit brands from all over the world participate in an unmissable three-day affair that includes lavish dinners and curated tastings that culminates in a grand auction.

Monteverde Restaurant & Pastificio

Featured Appearances

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Triangle Wine & Food Experience

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