Sara Monson

Culinary Arts Teacher, Asheville High School

Chef Sara Monson, originally from Asheville, NC,  is a Career and Technical Education (CTE) Instructor at Asheville High School (AHS). She began teaching through the lateral entry program in 2005. Over 10 years of professional industry experience and an Associate’s Degree in Culinary Arts qualified her to enter the education field. Sara began teaching Family and Consumer Science (FCS) classes at Asheville Middle School (AMS). Since beginning teaching, she has continued to pursue professional development and educational opportunities. In 2007, Sara secured a teaching license through East Carolina University in Family and Consumer Sciences. In 2008 she became a certified Career Development Coordinator and Career Development Facilitator. Sara went on to complete a Master’s degree in Educational Technology, seeing the growing use of technology and its role in education, in 2010. During this time, she also submitted a portfolio to apply for the National Boards for Professional Teaching Standards, which she also achieved.

Sara considered an administrative position and received an add-on licensure in School Administration in 2018. This plan was postponed when the opportunity became available in 2019 to move from AMS to AHS to teach the Culinary Arts and Hospitality Program. Since that time, Sara has been building and growing an incredible Culinary Arts program at Asheville High School. She has developed relationships with the North Carolina Community College System, Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College and The Biltmore Estate to provide opportunities for students. A school-based enterprise was created, Groundhogs café, for faculty and staff. The students successfully opened a state permitted and locally inspected café with Chef Monson’s guidance. She is the teacher sponsor for the ProStart Culinary Arts and Hospitality Teams. Both teams have advanced to National competition under the leadership of Chef Monson. 

Sara’s greatest joy in teaching is finding and creating opportunities for her students. She is thrilled to now be teaching at AHS in the CTE Department solely in the Culinary Arts. This allows Sara to share her passions for food, cooking and teaching together in one program. She is excited for the relationships with community partners and looks forward to building more relationships that allow for more opportunities for the students enrolled in any CTE Culinary Arts courses at AHS. She LOVES taking students on culinary tours across the world during the summer months!