Sara May brings culinary expertise to T-burg

When Sara May graduated from high school and left her hometown of Homer, she could have never imagined that, years later, she would end up permanently residing back in New York on the other side of Cayuga Lake.

“As soon as I graduated high school, I couldn’t run from Homer fast enough!” May said with a laugh. “I was off to study what I was passionate about and then had plans to leave and go to a big city.”

May studied at SUNY Purchase, where she majored in entertainment design and technology with a concentration in stage management. After graduating, May ended up in Philadelphia working in various theaters doing production work as a stage manager.

“I absolutely loved the work and working in a creative field, but after a while, I realized that I was facilitating other people’s creativity,” May said. “After all the theater work, I wanted to do something that would be creative and showcase my own creativity.”

While in Philadelphia, May developed a love of the culinary world. Paying her dues as an ice cream scooper, she began to work her way up in the Philadelphia culinary scene, eventually learning the art of baking and fine pastries.

“Although I had become an accomplished pâtissière, I didn’t want to limit myself,” May explained. “I feel that, sometimes, women get pigeonholed into just pastries, and I didn’t want to be limited to only that. I bake savory things as well, but I also really love to cook.”

After being a stage manager for four years and becoming a veteran in the Philadelphia culinary world, May decided to enroll in the Natural Gourmet Institute (NGI) in New York City.

“When I decided to go to culinary school at NGI, I commuted twice a week from Philly to NYC to complete my schooling,” May said.

With experience under her belt and a degree in hand, May decided that the time was right to establish her own business and clientele. She began thinking about an ideal place to do it.

“After I met my now-husband in Philly, we would travel back to Homer when we were dating to visit my parents,” May said. “After many visits where we had stayed at my parents’ place in Homer, we both decided that we would like to relocate permanently to a more rural area.”

May and her husband temporarily moved in with her parents in Homer so they could explore the region and find the perfect place to call home and where she could start her multifaceted business.

“All of this was going on when the pandemic started,” May said. “I love the hospitality industry, so when things started opening, I got a job as the tasting room manager at South Hill Cider in Ithaca.”

Despite enjoying getting to learn about cider, the atmosphere and the people she worked with, May missed being in the kitchen.

“My husband and I were still looking for a perfect place, and I was ready to establish myself,” May said. “It’s then that I remembered visiting Trumansburg as a kid. My husband and I visited and found it open, welcoming and accepting of all lifestyles. It has culture and people are friendly, but it’s still rural with a true sense of community.”

Having decided that Trumansburg was the place they wanted to call home, they found a place, and May took a job at the Main Street Market.

“The owner and the staff were so welcoming,” May said. “It made settling in wonderful. Working at the market is not only fun, but they offer me the freedom to showcase what I want for them.”

In the new town they call home and with a new job, May started her new business.

“I take special orders for pastries and all sorts of different things,” May said. “I have a website and I also do online cooking tutorials. I have recently gotten into food writing and I’m available for hire for that as well!”

Having a growing clientele and making quite a name for herself in the Trumansburg community, May is starting to get regional acclaim.

“I most recently wrote an article for Edible Finger Lakes on slab pie, which I love,” May said. “My writing has also been featured in Bon Appétit magazine.”

May has also developed recipes for the food delivery services ButcherBox and Fifth Season. ButcherBox has a primary focus on meat-based recipes, and Fifth Season is largely salad oriented, allowing May the ability to showcase her expansive knowledge and share it with others.

“It can be daunting to pitch ideas to different places, but I’ve been lucky and enjoyed success with it,” May said “I plan to keep doing it, along with providing customized culinary creations ordered directly from me.”

You can find Sara May’s collaborations and work and order from her website at saramargaretmay.com and follow her latest endeavors on Instagram at instagram.com/p/CaCitjsLZX-/.

Trumansburg Connection appears every Wednesday in Tompkins Weekly. Send story ideas to editorial@vizellamedia.com.