Sarah Rich began working in restaurants in college. After graduation, she studied at The French Culinary Institute (FCI, now ICC) in Manhattan, where she received a strong foundation working one-on-one with such culinary greats as Chefs Jacques Pepin, Andre Soltner and Alain Sailac.
In her last months at school, Sarah began an externship at David Bouley’s French-American restaurant, Bouley, where she took a full-time position after graduation. She worked closely with Chef Bouley for the next three years at both Bouley and his Austrian restaurant, Danube.
Under Chef Bouley’s mentorship, Sarah quickly rose through the ranks from extern to commis, and eventually to chef de partie, further strengthening her culinary foundation. After leaving Bouley, Sarah helped to open the successful West Village restaurant Mas, working as the Executive Sous Chef at Mas, farmhouse for the next three years.
After eight years in NYC, Sarah was excited for a change. A trip with her husband to visit the Bay Area introduced them to the incredible bounty available in San Francisco, and they decided to move. She immediately accepted a position at the two-Michelin-starred Michael Mina restaurant, and was quickly promoted to Sous Chef. She worked in the intense and demanding kitchen at Mina for the next two years learning from and working closely with Chef Mina and Chef de Cuisine Chris L’Hommedieu. Sarah then took a position in the kitchen at Coi. She spent time not only on the hot line, but also working with Pastry Chef Bill Corbett in the pastry department.
Sarah is now one half of the husband-and-wife tandem behind Hayes Valley hit Rich Table—and is one of five pastry chefs across the country named on Food & Wine‘s 2014 list of Best New Pastry Chefs. In the write-up, Food & Wine describes Sarah as “a genius at transforming familiar American desserts like s’mores, always adding a savory ingredient—fresh herbs, for instance—to balance out a bit of the sweetness.” Though they are changing daily, desserts on the current Rich Table menu include items like a Salted Pretzel Sundae with persimmon and tarragon and a Toasted Levain Panna Cotta with mandarin orange and sorrel.
Sarah Rich graduated from the International Culinary Center (ICC), founded as The French Culinary Institute (FCI). In 2020, ICE and ICC came together on one strong and dynamic national platform at ICE's campuses in New York City and Los Angeles. ICC’s culinary education legacy lives on at ICE, where you can explore your own future in food.
