Sarah Yaffe

I’m a boomerang! All in (and wearing different hats along the way), it’s been nearly 20 years.

I spent years working with commodity food boards, which gave me some of the most incredible opportunities to see firsthand how products are grown and produced — and to meet the people who dedicate their lives to doing it. Coolest is a toss-up between the hundred-year-old pecan orchards of New Mexico and the pig farms of Illinois where I got to hold an hours-old baby pig.

“Say yes.” You will get opportunities during your career that you didn’t see coming; ones that make you uncomfortable or force you to try something new. Say yes. Worst case scenario? You learn something. Best case? You learn something and you love it.

I go by ‘spy’ — my initials. Nobody at Weber would find that surprising, but I’ve answered to it for so long that I forget new people sure do.

I’m not particularly good at unwinding, but when the weekend hits, I’m happiest on the sideline, in the stadium or in the stands watching one of my three kids’ games or performances.

Chicago is a big city that somehow still feels like a collection of small towns, each with a personality all its own. I’ve lived here my entire adult life, and still there is always something new to discover.