The Magic of Trying New Things with Sommelier & Children's Book Author Sarah Thomas

A Q&A with the founder of Kalamata's Kitchen

Sarah Thomas has had two incredibly cool careers. She worked as a sommelier in restaurants like Le Bernadin and then started Kalamata’s Kitchen, a children’s book series and brand all about exploring flavor! The second Kalamata’s Kitchen book just came out and it’s such a delight (I learned a lot reading it as an adult). Pitched as Dora the Explorer meets No Reservations, Kalamata’s Kitchen helps kids have meaningful food experiences and encourages them to try new foods. I love a career pivot (Sarah talks about taking the leap to run Kalamata’s Kitchen full time) and am excited to share this interview with Sarah. You can follow Sarah and Kalamata’s Kitchen on Instagram and snag a copy of the book for yourself or a young person in your life.

Photo credit Credit Chancelor Humphrey

Abigail: Can you introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about Kalamata's Kitchen?

Sarah: I am the daughter of two south Indian immigrants, grew up in the rural town of Somerset, Pennsylvania, and was surrounded by food from a young age. My parents very much kept their Indian culture alive through the food they cooked, and I would spend summers in Kerala visiting my grandparents, forming some of my earliest food memories. My love for food is what eventually led me to the hospitality industry, and after working at various bars in Pittsburgh, where I lived at the time, I obtained my Advanced Sommelier certification. I eventually moved to New York, and became a sommelier at Le Bernardin where I worked under the amazing Aldo Sohm. Fast forward to 2016, I co-founded Kalamata’s Kitchen with my dear friend Derek Wallace. The Kalamata’s Kitchen brand encompasses our book series consisting of Kalamata’s Kitchen: Taste Buds in Harmony which was released this summer, and our first book Kalamata’s Kitchen which was released last year, a robust online presence featuring free activities that help create meaningful experiences for kids and their families surrounding food, an ever-growing list of the most kid-friendly restaurants in every city (called the Taste Bud Travel Guide) and a popular blog, where kids can read personal stories from top chefs like Meherwan Irani, Dominique Crenn, and Nyesha Arrington, among others. More details to come on this, but we also have an animated television show in the works in partnership with Imagine Entertainment. 

Abigail: What made you want to pivot from the world of fine dining to writing children's books? How did you make that transition?

Sarah: I had been working as a sommelier for many years, and I did love it, but I was in my late 20s and working at one of the best restaurants in the world. I didn’t really see what the next step was. I had a passion for working with kids, which is something I had less time to do when I moved to NYC, and I had a background in writing. I wasn’t seeing the connection amongst my passions until Derek came to me with the best idea I'd ever heard: what if we could create the character who inspired kids to experience the world through adventures with food? It was a real lightbulb moment. I was that kid! I would have loved that character as a kid. It was very exciting to think about. I worked at Le Bernardin and built the business with Derek at the same time for about 2 years before leaving the floor to focus on Kalamata’s Kitchen full time in 2020. The transition period was physically and mentally exhausting, but I felt like my years of experience in hospitality brought so much to the creation of Kalamata’s world, and that building the business and world of Kalamata made me better at my job as a somm for the period I was doing both things. And finally stepping into Kalamata full time was terrifying and exhilarating– but I was never more confident about any decision I’d ever made to that point. 

Abigail: Kids can sometimes learn so unabashedly. How can adults tap into that spirit and has writing children's books changed your approach to food in any way?

Sarah: You are absolutely correct in pointing out that we actually have a lot to learn from the way kids absorb and celebrate information! Given my experience serving food in restaurants and my current role of introducing kids to food through these characters– I can tell you with certainty that kids are way more enthusiastic about trying new things than most grownups are! Kids are much less afraid than we are to admit that they don’t know something. Their fear of the unfamiliar often comes from the way something is presented to them by an authority figure. I see adults all the time swear that their kids won’t eat sambusa or dal or kimchi at our tasting events– but then are absolutely blown away to watch them doing it. It’s very often the case that the adult was actually the apprehensive one about trying the food, and projected that on to the child. So I think when we’re trying to coax kids to eat something different or try something new, it’s worth putting ourselves in their shoes– make it fun! We base everything around our characters, Kalamata and Al Dente. Kids are inspired by other kids and characters to go on their own adventures. Another tip: If the food is new for you too, admit that! Share the discovery experience with them– it makes it much more like they’re doing something with a peer than someone telling them what to do. Writing these stories has changed my approach to food only in that I think way more intentionally about the way I describe things– less abstract tasting notes, more sensory experiential descriptive words and metaphors.

Abigail: This book explores Malaysian cuisine and culture. How did you choose to feature that? And are there any cuisines you're excited to feature soon?

Sarah: I spend a lot of my time interviewing incredible food personalities and hearing about their food memories and what they’ve learned through food. One of the most impactful interviews I ever conducted was with Kyo Pang of the NYC Malaysian restaurant Kopitiam. Kyo is Baba Nyonya Malaysian, and Baba Nyonya philosophy is imbued in everything she does– especially the food she makes. She taught me a lot through that interview, but I was really struck by the idea she shared of creating harmony through food– that it’s a tenet of Nyonya philosophy to make an effort to understand each individual ingredient, so that you can better understand how the different ingredients work together in a composed dish. It’s a concept that can transcend any single dish or culture, because at its core, it’s really about respect. It’s a lesson that we all need more of right now– but I thought it was critical and beautiful to tell the story through Kyo’s experience learning it as a child. As for any cuisines I’m excited to feature– I’m excited for Kalamata to try everything, from everywhere. I have story ideas milling around featuring Persian food, Ghanaian food, Haitian food… the list is truly endless and that’s such an exciting prospect for me! 

Abigail: What did you like to eat as a child? Were you adventurous or picky? (I used to eat a lot of plain pasta, no sauce).