Sonya Sanford is a chef, writer, culinary educator, and co-host of Food Friends: Home Cooking Made Easy, a top food podcast that shares trusted recipes, kitchen tips, and creative inspiration for home cooks. She is the author of Braids: Recipes From My Pacific Northwest Jewish Kitchen, and her recipes and writing have appeared in Eater, The Nosher, and other national outlets. She is a regular contributor to Portland’s KATU’s AMNW and teaches cooking classes and workshops for home cooks of all ages. She also works as a culinary consultant, helping bring food and editorial projects from idea to execution.
Born and raised in Seattle to immigrant parents from Ukraine, Sonya learned to cook from her family, where she picked up the traditions of pickling, preserving, gardening, foraging, and cooking from recipes passed down through generations. She developed her love of Pacific Northwest food while studying at Reed College and working in restaurants in Portland, Oregon. Today, her cooking draws on Slavic and Jewish food traditions, seasonal ingredients, and the abundance of the Pacific Northwest.
After college, Sonya moved to Los Angeles to work in entertainment, but soon found a way to put food at the center of her career. Over more than a decade there, she worked as a personal chef and caterer, culinary producer, and food stylist. Her producing credits include CBS’s Emmy-nominated Recipe Rehab and Tastemade’s James Beard Award-winning series Thirsty For. She returned to Portland in 2018 to open her restaurant: Beetroot Market & Deli, bringing together her love of Jewish food, Pacific Northwest ingredients, and the experience of cooking for a crowd.
Whether sharing recipes, leading workshops, or developing food projects, Sonya is dedicated to creating and teaching about food rooted in seasonality, generosity, and the rituals that make meals feel meaningful.
You can find more about her and her recipes at www.sonyasanford.com, on her Substack, and on Instagram @sonyamichellesanford.
