Sofia Sada: My Journey, My Life & My Future!
"Rooted in Passion, Heritage & Art"
People always ask me how I became a chef. The honest answer? I didn’t plan it. I was supposed to be an architect. I was supposed to keep playing soccer. Life, it turns out, had a different blueprint for me — and I’m grateful every single day that I had the courage to follow it.
But let me start where it all really began: in a kitchen full of women who cooked like it was the most important thing in the world. Because to them, it was.
Sofia Sada: My Heritage
The kitchen where everything started
I’m a Mexican-Spanish chef, born and raised in Monterrey, Nuevo León, and now proudly American as well. My father is from Oaxaca and Mexico City — a man from a world where flavors are deep, complex, and layered with history. My three aunts, who I consider true masters of Mexican cuisine, are exceptional cooks and published authors in Mexico. They didn’t just feed our family — they taught me that cooking is an act of love, identity, and storytelling.
I grew up alongside them, watching, tasting, learning. Every family gathering was a lesson. Every dish had a reason. Long before I knew what a professional kitchen looked like, I understood something essential: food is how we say who we are.
Culinary consulting with Sofia is not about following trends. It’s about understanding who you are, who your customer is, and designing a food experience that connects the two with authenticity and intention.
“Food was never just food in my family. It was how we celebrated, how we mourned, how we said I love you without saying a word.”
Sofia Sada: My Story
The Athlete: Soccer, Discipline, and the Mexican National Team
Before I ever picked up a chef’s knife professionally, I was an athlete. I played on the Mexican National Women’s Soccer Team from 2001 to 2004 — representing my country on the field, traveling, competing, and learning what it means to push your body and mind beyond what you thought was possible.
Soccer taught me things that no culinary school ever could: discipline, teamwork, resilience, how to perform under pressure, and how to get back up after every fall. It shaped my work ethic and my competitive spirit. To this day, the athlete in me shows up in every kitchen I run — in my focus, my stamina, and my refusal to settle for anything less than my best.
At 19, I was on a soccer scholarship studying architecture at a prestigious university in Monterrey.
"Two passions, one future, and a life that seemed perfectly mapped out. And then, one conversation changed everything."
Sofia Sada: Life Changes
The Moment that changed my life
I used to bring home-cooked food to my favorite architecture professor — a woman I deeply admired. One day she looked at me and asked a question I wasn’t ready for: “Why aren’t you studying at a culinary school?”
I didn’t have an answer. A few days later, she handed me a small booklet about “El Bullí”, the legendary restaurant in Spain led by Chef Ferrán Adrià. That booklet was my pivot point. Something inside me shifted. I suddenly saw what had been in front of me my entire life: I was meant to cook.
So, I did what felt terrifying and completely right at the same time. I quit architecture school. I lost my soccer scholarship. And I told my father I was going to be a chef.
I enrolled at the Centro de Estudios Culinarios Roccatti in Monterrey and worked day and night to complete my culinary studies. I didn’t look back.
"My father almost had a heart attack. In his world, this was not something women did. But I knew — deep in my bones — that this was my path."
Sofia Sada: My Journey
Building a Career, One Kitchen at a Time
My professional journey has been intense, humbling, and deeply rewarding. I started from the bottom — as a line cook and bartender in Monterrey — and I worked my way up through some of the most demanding kitchens in Mexico and Texas.
I trained in Michelin-starred restaurants alongside legendary chefs, experiences that sharpened my technique, my discipline, and my creative voice. I developed a deep passion for butchery, learning from some of the best meat butchers in Mexico during culinary school and restaurant work — a skill that still sets me apart today.
Over the years, I served as Executive Chef at FRIDA Mexican Restaurant & Bar in San Antonio, at Buen Provecho in Boerne, and as Executive Chef and Catering Manager at The Helene House Event Center. Each role stretched me — as a leader, as a creator, and as a businesswoman.
"Every kitchen taught me something new about who I am as a chef and what I’m capable of building."
Sofia Sada: My Passion
From Kitchen stadium to your table
In 2022, I had the incredible honor of being part of Iron Chef: Mexico on Netflix, working alongside Iron Chef Gabriela Ruiz — one of the most respected chefs in Mexico. The intensity of that experience — the pressure, the creativity, the live audience — reminded me of competition days on the soccer field. It reminded me why I love what I do.
I’ve been named Best Chef in San Antonio by the San Antonio Current in both 2020 and 2024, won Most Original Mexican Chef in Monterrey in 2011, and have taken home top honors at The Austin Chronicle Hot Sauce Festival multiple times. These recognitions mean the world to me — not as trophies, but as proof that staying true to your voice and your roots resonates with people.
Sofia Sada: My Legacy
Teaching: Passing the Flame
Today, I serve as a Professor of Latin Cuisines at The Culinary Institute of America in San Antonio, at the beautiful Pearl campus. Teaching has become one of the greatest joys of my career. There is nothing like watching a student’s eyes light up when they master a technique, when they taste something they created and realize they can do this.
I hold a Master’s in Culinary Arts, and I’m currently completing my Master of Professional Studies in Food Business, with a focus on leadership, sustainability, and cultural food systems. I believe deeply that the future of food depends on how well we educate the next generation — not just in skills, but in respect for tradition, ingredients, and each other.
as a unesco chef ambassador: "I work to honor and advance latin american culinary traditions."
Sofia Sada: My Life
culinary experiences
Today, through SOFIA SADA Culinary Experiences, I bring everything I’ve learned — from my aunts’ kitchen, from the soccer field, from Michelin kitchens, from the CIA classroom, from Kitchen Stadium — directly to you.
I consult for restaurants and food brands. I design private dining experiences and cater events that people remember long after the last plate is cleared. I teach cooking classes that leave people not just with a recipe, but with a new way of seeing food. And I do it all with the same belief I’ve carried since I was a girl watching my aunts cook:
Sofia Sada: Myself
beyond the kitchen
When I’m not in the kitchen or the classroom, you’ll find me with my family and my dogs — they’re a huge part of my life. I ride my motorcycle, I go fishing, I hop on my bike, and I travel whenever I can. I’m always exploring, always tasting, always curious. The world keeps teaching me, and I keep showing up hungry to learn.
If there’s one thing I want you to know about me, it’s this: I don’t just cook for a living. I cook because it’s who I am. And whether I’m designing a menu for your business, preparing dinner in your home, or teaching you how to make mole from scratch — I bring all of myself to the table. Every time!
Chef Sofia Sada
Let’s Create Something Beautiful Together
I’d love to hear your story. Whether you have a project, an event, a question, or just a love of food you want to explore.
what my customers say:
creating heartfelt flavorful memories
Mariana Cano
Ava Thompson
Norma Lira
William Turner
Jewel Matheson
My Philosophy
Bespoke Cuisine + Premium ingredients = Culinary delight
Sofia Sada Culinary Services
