Roshara Sanders

Roshara Sanders
Born	1989or1990(age 35–36)
Education	Culinary Institute of America

Roshara Sanders is an American chef and cooking instructor. In 2020 she became the first Black woman to teach in the culinary department at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA). In 2024 she was named to Food & Wine magazine's Game Changers list.

Early life and education

Sanders was born and raised in Bridgeport, Connecticut. ^{[1] [2] [3]} She has said her mother was addicted and homeless while pregnant with her and was offered a job by a local restaurateur to help her get off the streets. ^[1] She has said she grew up in a house built by Habitat for Humanity. ^{[4] [5]}

Sanders graduated from Bullard-Havens Technical High School in Bridgeport in 2007 with a concentration in culinary. She was accepted to the CIA but was unable to afford tuition even with financial aid and decided to enlist in the army to fund her education. ^[2] She served for six years in the 4th Engineer Battalion, including in Iraq and Afghanistan from 2009 to 2010, and in the 395th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion. After a roommate who had encouraged her to pursue her culinary interests was murdered by another soldier, Sanders enrolled at CIA under the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008, commonly referred to as the GI Bill. ^[1] She graduated in 2014 with a Culinary Arts Business Management BPS. ^{[2] [6]}

Sanders is gay. ^{[7] [3]}

Career

Sanders worked in restaurants in Connecticut and became chef de partie at Oceana in Manhattan. ^[1]

In 2016 she was named to the inaugural class of NBCBLK28 as one of 28 trailblazers under the age of 28. ^[4] In 2017 she was named a celebrity ambassador for Habitat for Humanity and was the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation's 2017 Faces of Diversity Award winner. ^[4] In 2018 she created a Veterans Day dinner at the James Beard House and was named a Forbes 30 Under 30 fellow. ^{[1] [2] [8]}

In 2020, when she was 29, Sanders became the first Black woman to teach in the culinary department at the the Culinary Institute of America (CIA). ^{[7] [1]}

In 2024 Food & Wine named Sanders, along with fellow CIA instructor Rupa Bhattacharya, to their list of seventeen "Game Changers" who were "shaping the future of food". ^{[7] [2]}

Television

In 2015 she won an episode of Chopped . ^{[1] [2]} In 2025 she was a team mentor on Next Gen Chef . ^[9]

References

1. Ofgang, Erik (2025-07-16). "Roshara Sanders Reflects on Her Path to the Culinary Institute of America". Hudson Valley Magazine . Retrieved 2025-09-30.
2. Griffin, Leeanne. "CT chef, culinary instructor on Food & Wine's 'Game Changers' list". Connecticut Post . Archived from the original on 2025-07-01. Retrieved 2025-09-30.
3. Wichman, Abbe (2023-06-02). "'I Have 3 Strikes Against Me In The Kitchen: I'm A Woman, I'm Black And I'm Gay'". HuffPost . Retrieved 2025-09-30.
4. Simon, Mashaun D. (2017-10-16). "Chef Roshara Sanders is mixing her passion for food with service". NBC News . Retrieved 2025-09-30.
5. Hussain, Ruksana (23 April 2019). "Chopped Champion Roshara Sanders Changes the Culinary Scene for Veterans". Cuisine Noir .
6. "It's A Woman's World: Chef & CIA Instructor Roshara Sanders". CT Bites . 2024-01-09. Retrieved 2025-09-30.
7. Andrews, Betsy (3 March 2025). "Meet the Duo Leading the Culinary Institute of America Into a New Era of Diversity". Food & Wine . Retrieved 2025-09-30.
8. Cuevas, Jailene. "CT native is first Black female chef instructor at Culinary Institute of America". Connecticut Post . Archived from the original on 2025-07-01. Retrieved 2025-09-30.
9. "'Next Gen Chef' a Netflix hit with a tie to Pittsburgh and LeBron James". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette . Retrieved 2025-09-30.