Chef Kären Jurgensen is the founder of sustainability curriculum at Seattle Culinary Academy and one of the school’s senior culinary instructors. She is a recognized leader in the local and national food communities, and she spends time supporting many organizations, sitting on the Boards of a few. She spends summers at Quillisascut Cheese Company’s Farm School teaching professional chefs, culinary students, and agricultural professionals farm-to-table immersion courses and philosophy. She is the co-author of Rethinking the Kitchen: the sustainable kitchen handbook and Chefs on the Farm cookbook. She has won many awards and honors for her work in sustainability, including the Chefs Collaborative National “Sustainer” Award and being named “Edible Education Hero” by Chef Alice Waters.