In an age of technology, never-ending plans and hard hustle, we are constantly looking to get away from the everyday madness. While some of us find this escape in running or reading a book or picnicking in the park, others find it within balsamic braised brussel sprouts. Yes, that is a dish and a former financier turned into a culinary entrepreneur after finding her mind, body and soul alignment through it. Meet the founder of Harvest & Revel and co-founder of Blind Seed, Sara Elise!

Sara Elise was born in Maryland and brought up across various cities on the East Coast. A 2011 graduate from Georgetown University, Sara majored in Finance and Marketing. Having interned at Credit Suisse for two years, she found herself working in Private Wealth Management doing equity research for three years post-graduation.

Pencil skirts, cool stilettos and a great salary were all the perks of working within the financial services sector. Yet, Sara was miserable! The 40+ hours spent on doing something that she didn’t enjoy eventually caught up to her. "When I was growing up, I was told that going to business school would open up many doors for me. But after graduating and while working a "great" job, I still didn't feel great. I was eating badly, engaging in self-destructive behavior and not dealing with how I was feeling. I just kept going, without thinking about how my behavior was impacting my life overall."

Her aha-moment in healing herself eventually led to the creation of a gourmet catering company, Harvest & Revel (formerly known as Bed Stuy Kitchen) in 2012 and more recently, Blind Seed, a brand that hosts 360 degree wellness retreats in the greater NY region.

“Everyone should always be seeking something. Out of the seeking, come the best things.”

With an urge to slow down time (and get her sanity back) while working in finance, Sara started cooking. Besides having a grandfather who was once a sous-chef and cooking up some appetizers for family dinners, Sara learned culinary arts through researching the market (literally). She would visit different food markets and learn about raw ingredients, which she would then use to concoct some delicious recipes. “In this endeavor, I started to discover how certain foods affected my body. I became more self-aware and wanted to share it with others.”

This led to “Seasonal Tasting Events” held at her apartment in Bed Stuy. The first intimate dinner with 15 of her friends took place in 2012. “The response was overwhelming and the energy that people had to try new dishes got me excited.” Voilà, a few requests to host events pushed Sara to start her own catering company that would focus on using fresh, seasonal ingredients for an elegant farm-to-table experience.

“It is a big deal for me to feel completely aligned in my mind, body and in what I’m doing.”

Harvest & Revel was originally called Bed Stuy Kitchen because Sara sourced her ingredients from different gardens in Bed Stuy, Brooklyn and cooked out of her Bed Stuy apartment kitchen. About a year into starting the company, Sara brought on a business partner and Culinary Director and later, officially quit her full-time gig at Credit Suisse to scale Harvest & Revel. In 2016, her and her partner agreed to change the company name to Harvest & Revel. The name was inspired by the essence of what they were doing - using ingredients that came from the earth to create revelry and celebratory moments.

Six months into starting the company, Sara brought on a business partner (now the Culinary Director) and officially quit her full-time gig at Credit Suisse to scale Harvest & Revel. Today, the company consists of about 15 employees and has clients all over New York City with private chef work in The Hamptons and wedding catering in upstate New York. Catering services start at an average $65 per person.

“Through Blind Seed, we want to give people access to their full alignment so that when they are back at the office, they can tap into that feeling.”

If you think transitioning from finance to food central wasn’t enough, Sara decided to take it a step further in her story of helping others find their perfect balance. In summer of 2017, she partnered with Tara Aura, a yoga teacher and co-founder of famous cold-pressed watermelon beverage, WTRML WTR to create Blind Seed.

Inspired by the zen proverb, “the seed never sees the tree,” Blind Seed was born from a serendipitous conversation between Sara and Tara. Tara wanted to create a day long and weekend retreat with yoga, meditation, good food and some sort of an educational component. It was a no-brainer that Sara would come on board to manage the food aspect. The first four-day retreat took place in Rhinebeck, NY in June 2017 and more have continued to introduce mindful wellbeing into people's’ lives.

The Advice

Recently highlighted as a top, young innovator in the NY food scene by Jarry Mag, Sara counts some of the most renowned chefs and culinary experts as her mentors and has a learned a thing or two from them. Her biggest advice? “Many people want to be entrepreneurs, and I'm not discouraging that! But leaving your job to immediately go into entrepreneurship is not always the best plan. It’s smart to do things that provide financial stability and security WHILE engaging in the things that make you happy. In other words, quitting a full-time job as soon as you have a business idea is not always the best mindset; sometimes it's best to first develop a financial security plan and follow it.”

Thinking you need a break from the rat race or just need a soulful meal at your next birthday party? Book your next retreat with Blind Seed here or your next event catering through Harvest & Revel here. Have a collaboration idea for Sara? Drop us a note and we’ll put you in touch!

Photo courtesy of Sara Elise.