Sarah Grueneberg
Chef/Owner, Monteverde Restaurant & Pastificio | Chicago
September 2021
Sarah Grueneberg spent much of her Houston childhood making sausages and baking wild berry pies with her German grandparents. She opened her first business venture, a restaurant called Tastes of the World, under her school’s bleachers in the fourth grade.
Grueneberg earned her associate’s degree in culinary arts from the Art Institute of Houston in 2001. That July, she joined Brennan’s of Houston under Chef Chris Shepherd. She began as garde manger and worked her way up to become the restaurant’s youngest female sous chef at the age of 22.
In 2005, Grueneberg moved to Chicago to join the award-winning team at Spiaggia, helmed by Chef Tony Mantuano. Grueneberg started on the line but eventually became executive chef in 2010. During her tenure, Spiaggia gained a Michelin star for three consecutive years.
In 2013, Grueneberg left her post at Spiaggia to develop her own concept, Monteverde Restaurant & Pastificio. Since it opened its doors in 2015, Monteverde has drawn crowds with hand-rolled pastas and modern interpretations of Italian classics. Grueneberg and her restaurant have nabbed numerous accolades since, including James Beard’s Best Chef: Great Lakes in 2017 and Jean Banchet’s Restaurant of the Year award in 2018.
2021 StarChefs Chicago Rising Stars Mentor Chef Award Winner presented by Vitamix Commercial
