CULINARY INSTRUCTION and
PRIVATE CHEF WORK

Food has been my art and deepest passion for as long as i can recall.

I’m a lifelong Cook and Culinary Explorer, and I’ve been studying food, culinary traditions of the world, and cooking techniques since I was a teenager.
I graduated from the prestigious Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY, so am a classically trained chef with much experience working in fine dining.
I’m also a certified Nutrition Consultant from Bauman College right here in Berkeley, CA where I still live and work.
I started my cooking business, The Sage Table, in 2005 and taught unique, nutritionally-minded cooking classes in my home kitchens and around the Bay Area for many years. They were widely-acclaimed and SO MUCH FUN!
On top of all my cooking skills and kitchen mastery, I’ve also conscientiously studying all things related to nutrition, health, herbalism, and wellness for the past decade and a half. I’m most interested in how to eat a nutrient-dense, satisfying food while maintaining balanced hormones and living a long and healthy life!
I’ve studied nutrition long enough to truly believe there is no pinnacle, “correct” diet that we should all follow, no one-size-fits-all — no matter what anybody tells you.

I’m committed to sharing recipes for food that nourish the body and soul on the deepest level, nutrient-dense, and traditionally-prepared — food that delights the eyes and feels fresh and vibrant in the body!

WHILE I’M NO LONGER TEACHING IN-PERSON COOKING CLASSES THAT ARE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC IN MY MAGICAL BERKELEY KITCHE RIGHT NOW, I AM STILL AVAILABLE FOR PRIVATE CHEF JOBS OF ALL SORTS:

• retreat cooking
• weekly meal deliveries
• fancy dinner parties
• custom culinary instruction in your home or mine

PLEASE INQUIRE TO DISCUSS WHAT YOU HAVE IN MIND AND HOW I MIGHT SERVE YOUR NEEDS.

PRIVATE CHEF INQUIRY

RECIPES

Learn some new recipes using vibrant, wholesome, traditional ingredients. **Nourish your body and your soul** and **tantalize your tastebuds** with some of my favorite recipes all in one place.

Visit the Recipe Page

CHOCOLATE

Find your own **CHOCOLATE BLISS** (aka ChocAnanda!) with these **instructions, top-notch recipes, sources + stories** about my own extensive adventures in chocolate bliss.

Visit the Chocolate Blog

cooking testimonials

Featured

"As a fellow food lover, chef and nutrition educator, I am thrilled with Dara's classes. She has a commitment to local, sustainable foods with her own hands in the dirt, the expertise of a fine chef, and the enthusiasm and joy to create fantastic classes! You will not be disappointed with The Sage Table, you will certainly be inspired."

— Laura C.

“Dara is a masterful chef who teaches with energy and warmth.”

— Suzanne M.

“Dara’s passion for fresh, seasonal, organic food is contagious. Her culinary mastery is obvious. Her creativity in the kitchen is that of a true artist. Her classes are dynamic, playful and full of valuable information.”

— Athena G.

"Dara is cooking outstanding food, meal after meal, week after week. The ingredients she uses are of the highest quality available on earth, often fresh from the farmers market. I love how I can simple throw out a desire for some kind of a dish, and Dara creates the most delicious recipe. Her knowledge goes way beyond what a cook ‘needs to know’, and she incorporates a tremendous amount of healing knowledge about food and nutrition into her cooking. I highly recommend hiring Dara as your personal chef, it is the best investment in your future and health you can possibly do!"

— Gitta S.

"Dara is a wonderful and inspired teacher. I took the fermentation class which seriously changed my life! We had a chance to sample may delicious recipes and then she cooked us an amazing meal with exotic and marvelous flavors. I just took her Chocolate class, and again, it was an illuminating, exciting, delicious and life changing experience. Dara is knowledgeable, passionate and it's sheer delight to sit in her kitchen and soak all the deliciousness. I can't wait until her next offering!"

— Fran S

Dara, your classes are high energy fun. I really can not believe how much I learn each time. The Sage Table is the perfect name for your business. You are truly a sage chef! Information about good health is just bubbling out from you like a fresh water geyser. Each time I take a class with you, I find myself making a big, fundamental change in my diet and it's, of course, always in a healthier direction.

— Jo H.

“Whether one is already an expert or knows very little, you will leave with tons of new and useful information. Dara has a beautiful way with people. She is a wonderful teacher and has a passion for cooking that is both healthy and delicious! I highly recommend her classes.”

— Jeromy J.