Meet the chef
Chef Sarah Joy
Chef Sarah Joy works closely with you. Her personalized menus never disappoint.
“My passion for food began at an early age when my mother would have my sisters and me in the kitchen assisting her in preparing elaborate vegetarian dishes for our family gatherings. She took us to all of the ethnic grocery stores from Little India to Little Italy, she knew all the local farmers, and she made sure we tasted food that was far beyond the usual North American palate.”
Sarah Joy discovered her passion for professional cooking at Bauman College, where she completed the Holistic Nutrition + Culinary Arts program: training rooted in whole, seasonal foods, with a focus on personal chef work.
Instead of heading straight into personal chef work, she spent years with large-scale food manufacturers and catering companies, developing recipes and training chefs across the country.
She then spent four years running a quality control program for a large San Francisco produce company, and went on to lead a vocational culinary program for a youth employment nonprofit in Oakland.
After 12 years on the commercial side, she has returned to where her vision began: as a personal chef, cooking wholesome meals with a rustic, holistic approach for families across the East Bay and San Francisco.
How we work
Eat and be happy.
We’re problem solvers motivated by one thing: meals that nourish and delight. Our menus accommodate any dietary restriction, preference or dislike — we’ve happily fulfilled many dietary requests, and our clients always come back for more. Our goal is to help you eat more in season and more fruits and vegetables. We bet you’ll taste the difference in our Joyful Culinary Creations.
Our values
Only the best.
We’re passionate about providing guidance and support while nourishing you with delicious comfort food. We shop locally and seasonally, and we believe in creating variety in your diet. Our purpose is to bring wholesome, seasonal eating to our local community through education about balanced eating habits — because a happy belly ripples out into a happy individual, a happy home and a happier community.
Words of praise
For many months now, we have been very blessed and delighted in having Sarah’s weekly menu that is not just healthy and fresh, yet so deliciously flavorful. Not to mention the stress-free of having grocery shopping done for you since she makes sure she gets the freshest and the best “catch of the day”!
Sarah’s exquisite style and professional etiquette shows in her every “joyful” creation. Even our kids (9 & 13) eat kale & quinoa that she magically tweaks to be simply appetizing! Our son had even once said, “Mom, I eat foods that most kids won’t!”
Kind words
From the families we cook for.
“Chef Sarah Joy is a gem. Not only is her food fantastic, she is a lovely person. She's so easy to work with and her food is delicious. She can accommodate all food allergies and is always willing to swap something out if it doesn't work for our family. I honestly can't praise her enough. We feel so lucky to have found her and now can't imagine our lives without her!”
“You are so easy to plan with. You came up with a menu that worked with our tastes and preferences. The food was fresh, healthy and deliciously prepared! This is the second time we've worked with you and that salmon dish is fabulous! And since we asked for it, you made veggie dishes that were seasonal and went well with the salmon. Thank you Chef Sarah!”
“I cannot say enough good things about our meal. Sarah Joy is a WIZARD. She made the most incredible meal for my husband's birthday. She has impeccable taste and attention to detail. Every bite was incredible. We're also a gluten and dairy free household, and she was able to accommodate it, no sweat. 10/10 hire her.”
“We've really enjoyed having Sarah plan out a healthy and delicious menu and then come to our home to cook. The food is very good, fresh and flavorful! She plans our menu to account for our parents' diet restrictions and our desire to eat healthy. She also does the grocery shopping and always knows where to find the freshest ingredients. She is a joy to have in our house.”
“I had a major surgery earlier this year so brought in Sarah to help our family with cooking for two weeks while I was recovering. She was amazing! The food was healthy and delicious, even though my wife and I have significant dietary restrictions. In fact, it was all so good that my four year old, who we struggle to get to eat on a daily basis, was excited and looking forward to meals each day.”
“YUM YUM YUM. My family and I have a crazy number of dietary issues and Sarah was incredibly thoughtful and generous with her time in making sure all our needs were met. I'm a health coach and feeding my family nutritious food means a lot to me. She went way beyond our expectations. I couldn't recommend her more.”
“Every week, we get to choose from a menu that is both new and familiar. Chef Sarah Joy has helped us transition from eating meat 5 nights a week to just 2, and we are pleasantly surprised at how much better we feel.”
“Sarah is an amazing personal chef! She helped me and my family get through my cancer treatment with fabulous organic meals that were part of a very specific anti-inflammatory diet. She's able to keep the dishes kid friendly for my three year old while expanding his palate.”
“If you are looking for truly delicious home-cooked food to soothe your soul you have come to the right place.”
“So fabulous. We are planning to do this as often as possible. YUMMM”
“We had such a delicious dinner last night of seafood soup, wild rice, salad, and cornbread. Excited to have lunch and dinner again tonight! Thanks for all the yummy food.”
“Tried the nutty pudding, soup, and mushroom steaks. DELICIOUS. The chimichurri sauce is so good! I love the flavor of the soup too.”
“We're thoroughly enjoying your meals, thank you Chef Sarah! You're a big hit with the kids also :)”
“Was so great! Felt like magic! Salmon was great, kids loved it. Thank you so much!”
“Wonderful to have such a lovely home-cooked meal tonight!”
“All the food is sooo good. This is amazing!”
“Tried the other dishes today! The tahini sauce is great.”
“Kids are loving the food too!”
“Toddler approved!”