The Idaho Potato Commission along with the Center for the Advancement of Foodservice Education selected Saint Paul College’s Sara Johannes, chef instructor and culinary arts department chair, to receive the 2026 Postsecondary Educator of the Year award. This national honor recognizes an educator’s professional commitment to the educational community and foodservice industry. 

Chef Johannes’s motto is to create student-centered experiences, empowering individuals to take ownership of their future and define their place in the food industry. 

With this goal in mind, she implemented two new ground-breaking programs – the first-ever study abroad program at St. Paul College and a flexible Culinary Entrepreneurship certificate teaching first-time business owners how to avoid early, detrimental mistakes when opening a new restaurant. 

Twelve Saint Paul College students, many first-time international travelers, ventured to Italy earlier this year in the spring. Because of Chef Johannes’s multi-layered fundraising efforts, including a scholarship dinner, private donors, and community support, nine of the 12 students received scholarships ranging from $2,500 to full coverage of the trip’s $4,300 cost.

Chef Johannes derived the college’s Culinary Entrepreneurship certificate curriculum from her graduate research on why restaurants fail. She identified early, avoidable business missteps and incorporated the antidote information into the lessons. The one-year program is flexible and can be completed online or in-person. This flexibility increases access for all and creates a more equitable pathway for non-traditional students.

The Postsecondary Educator of the Year award provided Chef Johannes with a $1,000 cash prize, commemorative plaque and complimentary registration to attend CAFÉ’s 2026 Leadership Conference held this summer in Chicago.

Click here to go back to the 2026 CAFÉ award recipients list.