One of my great joys in life is horse riding. Perhaps then, it is appropriate that it was whilst I was out in nature, riding through a forest, that the name of my personal chef business “THE SAGE DISH” finally came to me, ending months of frustration in trying to find a name that summed up the idea of what I wanted people to experience in reality: simply delicious “sage” dishes prepared in a classic way that are very good for both the body and the soul.

As a personal chef, I serve both individuals and families in the Ann Arbor and surrounding area with wholesome, delicious food in their homes saving them time and assuring them of the best nutritional and delicious experience, which has been totally customized to their individual preferences and health goals.

The biggest advantage - apart from the health aspect - is in offering families the time to reconnect and enjoy each other around the dinner table without the stress of figuring out “what’s for dinner?” given the crazy time constraints and schedules of modern life.

Other personal chef services I offer through THE SAGE DISH include private and group cooking classes for adults and children, small dinner party service, and Wellness Training.

Additionally I offer a corporate teambuilding event service - where the kitchen is used to dynamic effect to encapsulate the challenges of the real business world and help business team members forge more effective relationships, as well as better communication and problem solving skills.

Please visit the Services and FAQ sections for more information.

Rita Conroy-Martin

Born as a farmer’s daughter on the west coast of Ireland, I had the luxury to experience the pure joys and occasional sorrows of growing food and rearing animals, choosing which chicken or vegetable would be the best choice for the next “sage” dish and living and eating with the seasons.

As I left this oasis of tranquility and started my career in the world of international business, I let my passion for creating food take a back seat for a while but through extended time working in Belgium, France and Italy, as well as frequent international travel, I developed a more sophisticated taste and a hunger for knowledge of all of these different cuisines and set in place my formal education in the culinary world. Since I had an excellent grounding in basic cooking from my mother who was an outstanding cook, I supplemented my knowledge by taking short and intensive classes in West Cork, Brussels, Paris, Ferrara and Ancona, Italy.

The turning point for me came when I relocated to the USA where I realized that the majority of people I came into contact with were profoundly disconnected in their relationship with food and how they felt physically and emotionally. I started to hear the buzz works of “South Beach Diet” LDL, the Zone, etc and as I explored all of these “fad” diets and medical terminology, I decided I wanted to dedicate my life's passion to helping people to discover and experience “real” food - meaning unprocessed, ideally locally grown food produced in an ethical and environmentally friendly manner. This in turn would help them enjoy real long term improvements in their physical and emotional health.

I am currently studying for my Masters of Holistic Nutrition with the Clayton College of Natural Health, and completed my certificate in Organic Gardening and Medicinal Herbalism in 2006. I am a member of the American Personal Chef Association, The Slow Food Foundation, and hold a current ServSafe certificate from the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation.