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 and her partner Tom.

Community Programs Manager
Tovah was born in Mesquite, Nevada, and moved to Knoxville at the age of six, where she has lived ever since. She is proud to call East Tennessee home, though she enjoys traveling and exploring new cuisines whenever the opportunity arises.

A strong believer that healthy habits begin early in life, Tovah brings more than 11 years of experience as a Montessori educator, along with her roles as a mother, seasoned cook, and healthy-food enthusiast. She is passionate about helping children—and adults—expand their palates and discover the joy of trying new, nutritious foods. Her guiding motto is, “When you try new things, your world gets bigger.”

Tovah has also served on the boards of three local nonprofits and is deeply familiar with the nonprofit landscape. She is thrilled to join the Little Chefs, Big Change team and looks forward to creating many meaningful memories.

Volunteer Coordinator & Lead Instructor

Taylor is a University of Tennessee student studying economics and finance, but her passions extend far beyond the classroom. She’s always loved cooking and sharing new skills with young learners, and she brings that enthusiasm to every corner of Little Chefs, Big Change.

As Volunteer Coordinator, Taylor is the go-to guide for all things volunteers—organizing classes, sharing resources, and making sure everyone feels supported and ready to jump into the fun. She keeps the volunteer community connected, informed, and excited to help kids explore the world of healthy cooking.

Taylor also serves as a Lead Instructor, confidently guiding our elementary cooking students and adult volunteers through plant-based, kid-approved recipes. Whether she’s cheering on a child trying a new ingredient or helping a volunteer prep for class, Taylor loves watching students discover confidence in the kitchen and seeing volunteers feel inspired by the impact they make.

Lead Cooking Instructor
As a cooking instructor for Little Chefs, Big Change, Tina brings together her deep love for cooking and teaching others how to make healthier food choices. Tina has over 20 years of experience in the food industry and is a natural educator who creates joyful, hands-on experiences that inspire kids to explore new foods and build lifelong healthy habits. She also serves as Kitchen Manager at Narrow Ridge Earth Literacy Center, where she develops and cooks creative, plant-based menus for large groups.

Whether guiding a child through their first time chopping a carrot or helping them discover a love for quinoa, Tina approaches every class with warmth, patience, and infectious enthusiasm for good food.

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.

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.

Since January 2025, over 300 individual volunteers contributed 1000+ 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!