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.

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.

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! 

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!

Jimi joined the Schoolhouse team in April 2024. Her BA in Photojournalism brought her to Chicago almost eight years ago and her love for the city and music made her stay! Growing up, she loved to bake and still does. Only now, she is happy to share that joy with the students and families of the Schoolhouse community!

Randy joined School house in June of 2023. His culinary journey began at The Plant Chicago where he worked as an artisanal baker whipping up everything from rustic wood fired baguettes to decadent chocolate babkas. He furthered his learning working under extremely talented chefs in Chicago and Boston. Now, he brings his joy of learning and passion for cooking to the classroom where he loves finding new ways to make each recipe fun and engaging! Whether that be singing songs while chopping veggies or showing off his mad juggling skills.

Ever since she could remember, Ariana’s favorite thing to do has always been enjoying good food with better company. She believes in the power a meal has to bring people together. Her favorite meal of the day is breakfast, and when she has a morning off Ariana loves to try new brunch restaurants around the city. She really enjoys helping our young chefs gain confidence in the kitchen throughout Chicago with Schoolhouse. Ariana is always looking for new recipes to test out and can’t wait to see what we’ll cook up next!

Sam joined Schoolhouse in May 2024. He attended the Institute of Culinary Education in his native New York City before beginning a career cooking at some award winning restaurants in both Brooklyn and Manhattan. He loves sharing his passion for food with all the young people who attend classes at School House. When he is not at schoolhouse you can usually find him at the playground with his 3 year old daughter !

Jaclyn is a chef, artist, and designer who loves to cook, create, and share delicious food with others! She has spent time teaching kids and adults how to cook and loves making food fun. Whether she’s snapping photos of yummy dishes, designing cool artwork, or whipping up something tasty in the kitchen, she always finds a way to mix creativity with food. Jaclyn recently moved to Chicago and is excited to explore new restaurants, try fun recipes at home, and teach kids the joy of cooking!