Sarah has worked at The Schoolhouse since 2021. She loves tackling new recipes and techniques, and her favorite things to bake are mirror glaze mousse cakes, macarons and cute Kawaii treats. Sarah is delighted to share her love of baking and cooking with children! She loves to encourage kids to keep trying, even if it doesn’t come out perfectly the first time. She lives with her husband, two children, cats and chickens in Oak Park.

Cheryl Knecht is the Founder and Owner of Schoolhouse Kitchen + Studio. It’s her dream job.

To experience more meaningful connections to her local farmers and neighbors, she opened (along with hundreds of others) a cooperative grocery store in the Village of Oak Park, IL in July 2015 called Sugar Beet Food Co-op. The Co-op celebrates community and good food by providing a full-service marketplace for local vendors and producers and greater access to local, organic food. Her passion for education and skill-sharing motivated her to establish an educational organization which became Sugar Beet Schoolhouse. In 2016 Cheryl found a home for the Schoolhouse (we just call it Schoolhouse now) in a sweet little building in River Forest that includes a commercial kitchen for community chefs that she also manages (River Forest Kitchen) and a greenhouse. Cheryl received the Golden Beet Award from the Illinois Stewardship Alliance for Community Food Development in 2015 and has been named to New City Chicago’s “Big Heat” list of Chicago’s “movers and shakers” in the Chicago food scene three times.

Cheryl enjoys hiking and biking, listening to audiobooks and LOVES sharing her passion with others. Cheryl lives in Oak Park, IL with her loveable teenagers, Cedar and Ren, and their majestic black cat, MO.

Maren started her work with children and food back home in Minneapolis. Having taught in several Montessori and public schools, Maren's had the opportunity to help children develop emotional skills through gardening and cooking. After moving to Chicago to study cultural studies at Columbia College, she continued working with children, focusing on teaching music and dance. This work has led her to teach creative cooking classes at Schoolhouse! She's found a strong community in her Schoolhouse team because of the shared beliefs and methods of teaching with encouragement and guided exploration.

WICKER PARK MANAGER

Mia brings a passion for food, education, and creativity to their role as the manager of Schoolhouse Wicker Park. She loves cooking with students and getting nerdy about food culture! Her classes always include a science experiment, funny book, trivia, or a community garden field trip. Mia believes that cooking is a joyful, lifelong journey and is thrilled to share that passion with students.

As a homeschooling mom of three, Stephanie has plenty of practice adjusting to individual needs and organizing group events. Fun is always a central part of learning and it is how we cook best at Schoolhouse!

She has worked in a variety of restaurants, in catering, and in early childhood care. She also is the first in her family to earn a college degree in America, She started and runs a neighborhood native gardening group, is a ceramic artist, and loves camping.

Stephanie shared, "It is my absolute honor to be a part of families building memories together and to have such amazing co-workers!"

Alison brings her background in child development and hospitality to Schoolhouse Kitchen+Studio. She's a home educator that weaves cooking into the lesson plans to pique interests, connect, convey life skills, and bring learning to life.

Kristin has a culinary degree from Elgin Community College. She has been teaching private cooking lessons for over 10 years alongside a small catering business and brand new to The Schoolhouse Kitchen.

She loves to cook and craft with her grandchildren. She also loves to sew her own clothes. Her favorite dishes are those that are celebratory and can be shared when she and her husband entertain friends and family. The dishes include grilled paella, timpano(from the Big Night movie), and pork tacos.

Hamail has worked at The Schoolhouse since May 2024. Her love for cooking and culinary arts started back in high school in Pakistan which took her through culinary school and into the most amazing kitchens around the world, working under some of the most extraordinary chefs! She has been giving cooking classes since 6 years. Her favourite cuisines to cook are Italian, Thai & Mexican. She loves to host and believes food brings people together. When she’s not at Schoolhouse, she’s found filming recipes for her Insta fam and cooking delicious food for her biggest supporter - her husband!

Rebecca joined Schoolhouse in August 2024 with a love for cooking, crafting, and working with children. A native Kansan, Rebecca earned her BFA in Art History from the University of New Mexico and MA in Museum Science from Texas Tech University. Upon moving to Chicago in 2014, she worked in various museums as an educator. She is an avid supporter of the arts and always has a sewing project in the works. A mom of two young girls, Rebecca loves testing Schoolhouse recipes and activities with her kids and bringing the joy of cooking home!