Homegrown Roshara Sanders Amazing Journey To Become Chef Ro, Part Of Boutique Hotel Plans For Downtown

She’s joining forces with Black Rockers Niels and Callie Heilmann to create a boutique hospitality destination for Downtown projected to open in 2027, and now she’s a key figure in the new Netflix series Next Gen Chef at famed Culinary Institute of America which she attended

Bridgeport’s own Chef Roshara Sanders, The Culinary Institute of America’s first Black female professor in the culinary department, continues to inspire in kitchens and careers.

Sanders shares that her mother was homeless and drug addicted while pregnant with her in the late 1980s—but one interaction changed everything. “She was just walking down the east end of Bridgeport, and this woman said, ‘Hey, why don’t you come work for me? You’re pregnant, you need to get off the streets,’” Sanders says. That woman was the owner of Bert’s Place, a now-closed soul food restaurant, and the job offer was exactly what Sanders’ mom needed to get clean. “Food saved her life, which saved mine.”

Bridgeport’s in dire need of hospitality destinations since the former Holiday Inn was transformed into housing. A 6,000-seat amphitheater, 10,000-seat arena, hospitals, universities and businesses beckon hotel space. It’s coming.

Work is underway for a Marriott destination at Steelpointe Harbor.

Meanwhile, the Heilmann’s are moving forward with plans to convert the historic Post Building Downtown into a 36-room boutique attraction, Post Hotel, across five floors including sneaker and record store, culinary draw and rooftop bar, creating “a space in Bridgeport where culture, art, community, and tourism can thrive.”

Renderings of Post Hotel are spectacular. See more here

The Heilmann’s have also announced a food and beverage partnership with Chef Sanders, Chef Damon Sawyer of 29 Markle Court, Chef Rodrigo Artieda, and Certified Master Baker, Chef Jesse Jackson III.

Chef Sanders background:

Chef Roshara Sanders is an assistant professor of Culinary Arts at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA). Known affectionately as Chef Ro, she brings a powerful blend of military discipline and culinary artistry to the classroom. Her teaching emphasizes resilience, cultural pride, and the power of food to tell stories and build community. Among the courses she teaches are Culinary Fundamentals and Introduction to À La Carte.

Sanders traces her love of cooking back to her childhood, watching her mother work in restaurants and later in Sacred Heart University cafeterias. She enrolled at a technical high school and took culinary classes taught by a CIA graduate, fueling her dream of one day attending the college.

To make that dream a reality, she enlisted in the U.S. Army and served in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan, in 2009 and 2010, as a member of the 4th Engineer Battalion. As an automated logistical specialist, she supervised warehouse functions and equipment records. Upon returning stateside, she joined the 395th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion and cross-trained as a food supply specialist.

With support from the GI Bill®—and inspired by her fallen roommate, a fellow soldier who always pushed Sanders to follow her chef dreams—Sanders enrolled at CIA, earning an associate degree in Culinary Arts in 2012 and a Bachelor of Professional Studies (BPS) in Food Business Management in 2014.

Her post-graduate career quickly gained momentum, with roles at acclaimed restaurants in New York and Connecticut, including Oceana in Manhattan, where she was chef de partie from 2018–2020.

The decorated veteran went on to become a Chopped champion, winning the Military Veteran’s edition of the Food Network’s show in 2015. Sanders was sponsored by Remy Martin Cognac Company and inducted into the Circle of Centaurs mentorship program. The following year, Sanders was named to NBC Black’s “28 Under 28” list and became a celebrity ambassador for Habitat for Humanity International. In 2018, she signed a partnership deal with consumable goods manufacturer for a line of namesake products, was recognized by Forbes as a 30 Under 30 Overachiever, and was invited to present a featured Veterans Day dinner at the prestigious James Beard House. Her momentum continued with her chef appearance at the 2019 South by Southwest Festival and her strong showing on Food Network’s Vegas Chef Prize Fight in 2020.

Sanders’ career came full circle in 2020, when she returned to CIA, this time as its first Black female culinary instructor. She remains a passionate advocate for diversity in the restaurant industry and a mentor who encourages students to embrace their heritage, push boundaries, lead with purpose, and focus on mental health. She helped CIA develop the curriculum for its Cuisines and Cultures of Africa and its Diaspora in the Americas bachelor’s degree concentration, immersing herself in experiences including the Diaspora Kitchen festival in Cameroon in 2023.

Today, Sanders is the chef ambassador at Red Rooster in Harlem under celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson and continues to serve as chef ambassador for Habitat for Humanity, having traveled to Malawi to support the organization’s global mission. In 2024, she was named one of Food and Wine’s Game Changers. She and her partners in the Archive Hospitality Collective plan to open a boutique hotel in Bridgeport, CT, in 2027.

Chef Sanders appeared on Netflix’s Next Gen Chef series filmed at the Culinary Institute of America.