Sarah's Love Bites

Sarah Jenkins is a Washington native hailing from Spokane, where she spent her childhood years. She's previously lived in Issaquah, Omak, Okanogan, as well as Rigby, ID.

There were many moments in her grandmother's kitchen, learning the basics of cooking at a young age. When Sarah turned 12 her parents divorced, her mother then went to college which required Sarah to help more at home with her 2 younger sisters. Cooking family meals was now Sarah's responsibility. Her dad attempted to keep family dinner times but he was occupied with working and running rental property he owned.

Sarah's decision to rise to the occasion with cooking in order to help her family lit a passion inside her. Watching various shows, reading recipe books, and helping her relatives in the kitchen whenever possible added to her repertoire. Many times, she prepared meals for the family of 5. Sloppy joes were one of first meals, along with hamburger gravy from scratch - a family favorite!

Middle school was a fun time taking home economics classes where Sarah built her confidence to try new food dishes, and also the culinary arts of using and growing herbs. She read as many books about various plants and their uses as she possibly could. Gardening became a tandem passion thanks to her grandmother who spent her time often walking with Sarah in her garden.

During High School Sarah worked at the first Papa Murphy's in the Spokane area. During that time she honed her skills by doing prep, learning about how to make dough, and time management. It was a foundational start for a budding chef. Sarah spent years at various culinary jobs and horticulturist jobs, moving to different areas to learn new skills with the goal of opening her own restaurant (spoiler: mission accomplished!)

The move to Olympia was life-changing for Sarah. The diversity and beauty of the area made her decision to make this area her home forever. With her mind made up Sarah fell in love with the idea opening a catering business, however the chance to open a small restaurant in downtown was a better fit given the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. It offered the chance to cater events still, while also having a centrally-located space to create amazing food.

Sarah's Love Bites moved into the Buck Donald building across from Olympia Film Society and next door to Buck's Spice Shop. Sarah is optimistic that the restaurant will be here for a long time, a local favorite food stop for many years to come!