Taste Quest Mission and Methodology

Mission:

To equip educators with play-based methodology for enhancing kids’ culinary literacy and confidence.

 

Vision: 

To see kids confidently using food to nourish their physical, social, and emotional wellbeing. 

What We Believe

Culinary Literacy is an urgent need.

Young people can disrupt negative health trends through deepening their awareness of the world of food and learning how to be an ambassador of food to their communities.

Growth starts with curiosity and exposure

Curiosity kickstarts every rich learning experience. It leads to creativity, critical thinking, compassion, and confidence. Simple exposures to foods, techniques, cultures, history, science, etc. can yield tremendous results.

We need to play with our food!

Young people are more likely to try something new in the context of games, stories, experiments and crafts. Research shows that facilitated play ticks all the boxes for the best learning experiences: Minds-on, engaging, meaningful, socially interactive, iterative, and joyful.

Cooking fosters confidence

Young people can disrupt negative health trends through deepening their awareness of the world of food and learning how to be an ambassador of food to their communities.

Why Play with Food

Food is fantastic medium through which kids can develop confidence in managing their health and relationships. Within minutes, kids go from feeling incapable to empowered after making something new with food. This confidence spills over into health awareness, relationships, and executive functioning. Taste Quest’s play-based learning methodology is always hands-on to encourage that sense of satisfaction of doing something real and really useful.

 

How do we know kids are learning by playing with food? Taste Quest draws from research in the science of learning to create activities that promote an optimum experience which is characterized by…

learning that is active (mind-on), meaningful, engaging, 
socially interactive, iterative, and joyful.

 
When we engage with food (at any age!) we adopt a hands-on mindset that is active and not passive. Food is always meaningful because it nourishes our bodies but also connects us to family, friends, and culture. Food draws people together, so it can always be socially interactive. We can never run out of things to learn in the world of food, as it is endlessly iterative. And who ever threw a party without something yummy? Food is and always has been a tool for joy. When all of these factors combine in a “guided play” environment, we create kids’ best chance to learn and grow.

Partner with Us Today!

Want to use Taste Quest
  with your kiddos?

See our Activities

Want to reach more kids with
playful culinary literacy education? 

Give to Taste Quest

Want your business to team up 
with Taste Quest?

Become a Sponsor

Meet our Team

About Our Founder

Founder and Director Emily Capo Sauerman really likes raspberries. And dumplings. And étouffée. And oatmeal chocolate chip cookies with a cup of tea. Most importantly, she likes sharing food with everyone around her, especially kids.

Emily brings a multifaceted background to the task of launching Taste Quest, including work with several publications, nonprofit marketing and development, and small business consulting. She is also an avid experimenter in the kitchen, perfecting techniques and flavors from all over the world to enhance her culinary repertoire.

Emily lives in Nashville with her husband, Josh, their daughters, Elizabeth and Abigail. Emily is always trying to find ways to involve the girls in the kitchen, believing that food, in both preparation and consumption, is critical for growing up well.

Meet our Board

Sarah Martin, MPP, RDN, LDN, is a licensed Registered Dietitian and the Manager of Nutrition in Culinary Innovation for Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc. She has a diverse background of experience including worksite wellness, school nutrition and food service management, public policy, recipe development and nutrient analysis and menu labeling. A Tennessee native and farmer’s daughter, Sarah’s passion for agriculture and food led her into a career in the restaurant industry. Sarah has held various leadership roles in her dietetic profession, and she enjoys being able to serve her local community and supporting the future of food and nutrition experts.

Michael McMurrich is has 15 years of experience across strategy consulting, agency, and startup leadership. He is Canadian born and loving every minute of his time in Nashville, especially the evolving food scene. His goal is to help grow Taste Quest grow to become a household name for those at the intersection of food and community.

Chef Lionel “Dean” Chadwick started cooking at an early age in Singapore where he grew up. He learned a lot about Asian cuisines and cooking methods from his nanny after school.
 
Chef Dean moved back to the states where he cooked in Central Coast of California and college in Orange County. He moved up to San Francisco in 2012 to work at Le Colonial, a Vietnamese fine dining restaurant as their Sous Chef.
 
He eventually changed career paths and went to Compass Group as one of their many executive Chefs. He learned the business side of the culinary world here and how to feed large groups of people.
 
Chef Dean met the love of his life at this time and got married to Rikkie Dionisio in the summer of 2022. They have 3 cats and love gardening and helping people. They moved to Nashville in 2021 and was Saint Thomas Ascension Hospitals executive Chef before transferring to where he currently works, Vanderbilt University Medical Center as their executive Chefs. 

Florence Gay is a seasoned brand and business strategist with over two decades of global leadership experience spanning Europe, North America, and Asia. She’s spent much of her career at Nissan, where she’s led everything from market intelligence and product strategy to brand transformation and business development. Known for combining data-driven insights with creative strategy, Florence has influenced CEO-level decisions and helped redefine premium automotive branding on a global scale. Her work has taken her from Paris to Nashville to Yokohama, shaping brands that resonate across markets and cultures.

Beyond her corporate achievements, Florence brings a collaborative, forward-thinking mindset to everything she does. She’s passionate about developing teams, fostering innovation, and translating complex ideas into actionable growth strategies. Outside of work, she likes to cook and enjoys taking care of her 3 children. Originally from France and now based in Tennessee, Florence blends her international perspective with a genuine enthusiasm for creativity, people, and purposeful leadership.