Chef instructor Sara Monson will be the first to admit that she lacks a farmer’s patience. “I can cook food, but I can’t grow it,” said the A-B Tech culinary alumna, who is most at home in a fast-paced kitchen and likes to buy produce at farmers’ markets. But Monson, otherwise known as Asheville High School’s Culinary Arts instructor, will be developing her green thumb this summer as part of the Kenan Fellowship, which she was recently awarded for the 2026-2027 school year.
Monson is one of nine teachers selected for the fellowship statewide. For her residency, she will complete a three-week summer immersion with the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project (ASAP), where she will develop a capstone project that shines a light on future career pathways for her culinary students. ASAP is a nonprofit based in Asheville whose broad mission includes engaging educators and students to provide food and farm -based learning experiences
For her project, Monson hopes to bring together Asheville High students with Asheville preschoolers who share the building with the high school’s Career and Technical Education department. She envisions pairing a high schooler with a Little to work together to grow food. Along with getting the kids outside, working collaboratively, she hopes it will give them new tools for empowerment during a time of high food insecurity, when, according to Feeding America’s annual Map the Meal Gap analysis, one in five North Carolina children and teens face hunger.
“We can start with seeds in trays and transfer them to hydroponics, then to the greenhouse to put in dirt and let them grow,” she said. “They need to see the cycle and see how you can grow food.” “It will also get the kids outside,” she added.
Monson, who completed A-B Tech’s culinary arts program in 2002, never planned on becoming a teacher. The Asheville native fell in love with cooking at age five, watching her grandmother at work in the kitchen.
“She made everything from scratch,” she said. “Real southern food. Fried chicken, chicken and biscuits, chicken and dumplings.”
Like her grandmother, Monson found she had a natural skill for cooking. After studying commercial recreation and tourist management at Appalachian State University, Monson decided to pursue a culinary career by studying at A-B Tech.
After completing her degree in culinary arts, she began her career at Mission Hospital in 2002, preparing meals for patients and doctors. She then moved to Balsam Mountain Preserve, a gated community in Jackson County, which was more upscale in its offerings. However, by 2005, Monson was craving a change. She heard about an opening at Asheville Middle School for a family and consumer sciences class- otherwise known as “Home Ec”. She applied and taught there till 2019, when she took the helm of Asheville High’s culinary program.
The high school currently offers four culinary classes across four years, so students can build a strong foundation of skills. As part of their classes, they help run the Groundhogs Café, which prepares and serves breakfast to staff and faculty. When students graduate, they are prepared to work in the food industry or go on to expand their skills at A-B Tech. Monson said that she and A-B Tech Hospitality Management and Culinary Arts Chair Cathy Horton sometimes joke about starting a combined five-year program for the two schools, which sit across the street from each other.
Monson never planned to become a teacher, but she’s quite happy with where she’s landed. She thrives on “aha” moments when she sees her students light up with a new discovery.
“I have former students come in and show them different aspects (of the industry),” she said. “Food science, food photography, food writing… I give them opportunities to shadow at A-B Tech or the Biltmore Estate to show them there’s more to culinary than being in the kitchen.”
She also loves demonstrating cooking techniques, such as how to most efficiently carve a roasted chicken. After learning how to wield their knives, the students then combine the chicken with scratch-made pasta in a feast of Fettuccini Alfredo.
Monson’s cooking classes are popular with students because they are hands-on with equal parts book learning and kitchen time. She quips that although many students sign up hoping they’ll be eating 24/7, they are initially disappointed, but they stick around when they discover how varied the class is.
“As the semester progresses and they get in the kitchen, they push themselves and want to try new things,” she said.
Like her students, Monson likes to stay engaged in new projects. She said that she applied for the Kenan Fellowship, hoping to step outside her comfort zone, not knowing exactly where she would end up. Seemingly, she got what she asked for. In the coming weeks, Monson will be rolling up her sleeves to get her hands dirty with students, though not with the usual Alfredo sauce.
“I want to demonstrate to them being a lifelong learner,” she said. “It helps me rejuvenate and come back with a different lens to look at things differently.”