Chicago native, Sara Gasbarra, is the founder of Verdura, a full service garden design company which cultivates culinary gardens for Nashville chefs, restaurants and hotels including The Catbird Seat, Bastion, Henrietta Red, Locust, Virgin Hotel Nashville, JW Marriott Nashville and private gardens for Chef Julia Sullivan, Chef Sarah Gavigan and Chef Charity Morgan. She has previously worked with Park Hyatt Chicago, Chicago Athletic Association Hotel, Hilton Chicago and Palmer House Hilton before moving her business to Tennessee. In 2020, Sara expanded the scope of her work to include residential projects in the Nashville area and also provides consulting services nationally.

Sara specializes in creating a season-long garden plan specifically tailored to the needs of a restaurant or home kitchen, sourcing unique and rare varieties of plants and vegetables, organic growing practices, custom designed irrigation systems and integration of the garden into the existing landscape, paying close attention to each client’s style and aesthetic.

Her work has been featured in several publications including Food & Wine (February 2021), Food & Wine Italia (March 2021), Martha Stewart Living (May 2020), Saveur, Eating Well, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun Times, Chicago Magazine, Tasting Table,  Nashville Scene, Crain’s Chicago Business and Gardenista. 

In 2018, Sara was honored by Chicago Woman magazine as one of Chicago's most influential women in food. She was also featured in New City's "The Big Heat: Chicago's Food & Drink 50" in both 2013 and 2017 and by Zagat in "The 11 Chicago Food Specialists You Need to Know."

In addition, Sara has provided in depth garden expertise for and lead interactive workshops with The Culinary Institute of America, P. Allen Smith, Taste Talks, Slow Food USA, IDEO, Google, Chicago Ideas Week, DIFFA "Dining By Design" and Soho House.

In 2010, Sara founded an auxiliary board for Green City Market, Chicago’s largest, year-round farmer’s market, serving as its chairman for four years and launched her green career as the Project Manager of the market’s "The Edible Gardens", the city’s premiere 5,000 sq. ft. educational vegetable garden run in partnership with Lincoln Park Zoo.

She has also served as Vice President for Slow Food Chicago's Board of Directors.

Her inspiration for cultivating edible green spaces for her chef clientele is drawn directly from childhood memories of summers spent gardening and cooking with her Italian-born father. Sara's favorite vegetables to grow for her clients include Cavalo Nero, Bloody Mary nasturtium, African blue basil, Wild Boar Farms blue gold tomatoes, tangerine lace marigolds and aji amarillo chiles.

headshots by Eva Deitch Photography and Lucy Hewett Photography  |  branding by We Cre8 Design