Sara Bradley (born 1981/1982) is an American chef based in Paducah, Kentucky, known for her appearances on the television series Top Chef and Chopped. Her cooking features Southern, Jewish, and Appalachian influences.
Sara Bradley | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1981 or 1982 (age 41–42) Paducah, Kentucky |
| Culinary career | |
| Cooking style | Southern, Jewish, and Appalachian cuisines |
Current restaurant(s)
| |
Television show(s) | |
Early life and education
editBradley was born and raised in Paducah.[1] Her mother is Jewish[2] and her father is not.[3] He grew up in the Appalachians.[2] Her mother's grandparents emigrated from Poland and Prussia.[3] Her parents met working in Lexington, Kentucky.[3] She was raised Jewish.[3] She has a younger sister.[4]
Her mother and paternal grandmother taught her to cook and preserve.[5][3][6] As a child she attended Camp Ben Frankel in Carbondale, Illinois.[2] She attended Heath High School.[7] She attended the University of Kentucky, graduating with a degree in psychology.[1] She worked in kitchens during high school and college and attend culinary school at Johnson and Wales in Charlotte, North Carolina, after graduating from college.[1][3]
Career
editBradley worked in New York and Chicago in Michelin-starred restaurants prior to returning to Western Kentucky, to Paducah, to open Freight House, which focuses on local seasonal ingredients.[5][4] The restaurant is located in a former warehouse.[1] The cuisine is Southern with influences from Jewish cuisine and Appalachian cuisine.[5] It offers a large selection of Kentucky bourbons.[5][2][8]
In 2016, she was the runner-up in Top Chef: Kentucky.[5][9] Her matzo ball soup was popular with judges; Bradley recounted having originally called matzo balls "cracker dumplings" because the term matzo ball was unfamiliar to local diners, but after the episode aired, she was able to use the correct term.[3][10] In 2023, she competed in Top Chef: World All-Stars, where she also placed as a runner-up.[5]
In August 2023, Bradley won the Food Network's Chopped: All American Showdown.[11]
In October 2024, Bradley won the Chopped: Legends tournament, winning $25,000 for herself and $25,000 for the charity she was competing for, Maiden Alley Cinema, a nonprofit theater in Paducah. She announced on the show that she would donate the $25,000 that she'd won for herself to her second-place competitor's charity, which funds research for a rare bone disease affecting his daughter.[12]
Personal life
editBradley is married and has two daughters.[13] While competing on Top Chef: World All-Stars, she pumped an estimated 15 gallons of breast milk to ship home from London for her 9-month old baby via a service called Milk Stork.[13] She cited both the formula shortage the United States was then experiencing and the fact she continued to be able to produce as factoring in the decision.[13]
References
edit- ^ a b c d Haugen, Ashley (9 December 2018). "Sara Bradley of "Top Chef Kentucky": FACES of the South". StyleBlueprint. Archived from the original on 2023-05-26. Retrieved 2023-05-26.
- ^ a b c d JTA (13 March 2019). "'Top Chef' contestant hits finals with Chinese-inspired matzah ball soup". Times of Israel. Archived from the original on 2023-05-26. Retrieved 2023-05-26.
- ^ a b c d e f g Miller, Gerri (2019-04-10). "Sara Bradley on Growing up Jewish in Kentucky and Her 'Top Chef'-Winning Matzo Ball Soup". Jewish Journal. Archived from the original on 2023-05-26. Retrieved 2023-05-26.
- ^ a b Rackl, Lori (2018-11-04). "Paducah's Top Spots". Chicago Tribune. pp. 5–6. Archived from the original on 2023-05-26. Retrieved 2023-05-26.
- ^ a b c d e f Lunsford, Mackensy (5 April 2023). "English breakfast deviled eggs, more: 3 Easter brunch dishes from Top Chef Sara Bradley". The Tennessean. Retrieved 2023-05-26.
- ^ Kraft, Chris (2020-10-02). "Three Modern Twists on Southern Preserves". Garden & Gun. Archived from the original on 2023-05-26. Retrieved 2023-05-26.
- ^ Andrus, Martha (2019-04-11). "'Top Chef' runner-up tells her story in Murray; Paducah's Bradley serves as guest speaker at Women in Business". Murray Ledger and Times. Archived from the original on 2023-05-26. Retrieved 2023-05-26.
- ^ "America's Best Bourbon Bars 2020 | The Bourbon Review". The Bourbon Review. 2020-09-30. Archived from the original on 2023-05-26. Retrieved 2023-05-26.
- ^ Wilson, Korsha (2019-03-19). "'Top Chef' Runner-Up Sara Bradley on the Pressure of Being the Hometown Favorite and Coming In Second". Yahoo!. Archived from the original on 2023-05-26. Retrieved 2023-05-26.
- ^ Overdeep, Meghan (2019-04-18). "Top Chef Finalist Sara Bradley's Famous Matzo Ball Soup Recipe". Yahoo!. Archived from the original on 2023-05-26. Retrieved 2023-05-26.
- ^ jacob@kyforward.com (2023-08-15). "Paducah native, chef Sara Bradley wins Food Network's 'Chopped: All American Showdown'". NKyTribune. Retrieved 2023-08-29.
- ^ "Paducah's Chef Bradley wins TV title of "Chopped" Legend". West Kentucky Star. Retrieved 2024-10-12.
- ^ a b c Donnelley, Erin (2023-03-27). "'Top Chef' star Sara Bradley pumped 15 gallons of breast milk while filming the latest season in London. She shipped it to Kentucky — here's how and why". Yahoo!. Archived from the original on 2023-05-25. Retrieved 2023-05-26.
Further reading
edit- "Former Chicago chef Sara Bradley competes on 'Top Chef' in Kentucky, where her Paducah restaurant is worth the trip". Chicago Tribune. 2018-10-18. Retrieved 2023-05-26.