Sarah Buchanan
While studying Political Science, Sarah traveled to Kenya and that trip changed her life. Upon return, she changed her major to concentrate on international development. After graduation she spent more time traveling in developing nations, seeing first hand the link between agriculture and poverty. Sarah co-founded Kula Project with the goal of eliminating poverty for future generations by equipping one billion small farmers to do it. She now spends her days developing the international programs, raising support, and hanging out with Rwandan farmers.
Keep up with Kula on Twitter and Facebook.
Ryan Pernice
With more than 15 years’ experience in the hospitality industry, Ryan Pernice demonstrates a passionate commitment to excellence in his restaurants, Table & Main | a southern tavern and Osteria Mattone.
Raised in Roswell and a proud graduate of Roswell High School, Ryan opened Table & Main in 2011 featuring “simple, seasonal and Southern” cuisine.
Upon opening, Table & Main earned early acclaim from critics and diners alike.Though awards are nice, Ryan is most proud to have built a restaurant that his friends and neighbors can consider their “neighborhood spot.”
Ryan and his partner, chef Ted Lahey, decided to open Osteria Mattone to offer Canton Street its only Italian restaurant. After all, what better way to build on their success than with a bowl of pasta and a glass of Barolo?
Combining the casual spirit of an osteria with the more formal dining of a Roman trattoria, Osteria Mattone also puts a great emphasis on a beverage program driven by Ryan’s brother, Daniel.
To distill his vision for the restaurant, Ryan traveled to Italy with Executive Chef Lahey to eat his way through 31 restaurants in seven days in Bologna, Montepulciano, In 2009, Ryan helped open Maialino, a Roman trattoria in New York City’s Gramercy Park from award-winning restaurateur Danny Meyer of Union Square Hospitality Group.< Lauded with accolades by Forbes, Esquire, New York Magazine and the NY Times since its debut, Maialino set a high standard for Ryan’s dream of opening his own restaurant.
Prior to opening Maialino, Ryan gained valuable experience in restaurant consulting at Avero, LLC, an innovative business-intelligence company catering to the country’s top restaurateurs.
After working in several local Roswell restaurant kitchens throughout high school, Ryan attended Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration where he graduated with highest honors. You can keep up with him on his Twitter account.
