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About

Sarah Penrod

Welcome to Urban Cowgirl


Recipes For A Modern Generation Of Lonestar Foodies

who i am

Hey there! I’m Sarah Penrod, a 7th-generation Texan, bestselling cookbook author, Food Network Star alum, and private chef to the biggest names in Texas.

Whether you found me on Good Morning Texas, Hallmark Home and Family, Food Network, YouTube, Great Day with Rachel Ray, or somewhere on the web–I am very happy to meet you!

Click Here to Contact Me for Rates on Sponsorships and Services

The Urban Cowgirl Cookbook

In 2016, with the impending release of my first cookbook, The Urban Cowgirl, I began to create an online habitat to share recipes and ideas with other Texans and Southern food lovers.

Here at Urban Cowgirl, I post blogs twice a week, along with professionally produced YouTube videos, Facebook recipe videos, food photography, occasional travel segments, and influencer coverage of local events.

what we do

At Urban Cowgirl, I like to keep it simple! I produce digital media that serves and inspires those of us who are passionate about Texas food and culture.

As a classically trained chef and mom who has served Texas for 13 years, I offer brands culinary expertise as well as special insight into what inspires a Texas audience.

You might notice that I take a personal approach to sharing my experiences by including my two sons Gabriel and Micah in my posts and videos. My desire is to provide readers with an authentic and personal connection to our family as we share life from our home in Dallas.

My son Micah

If you’re looking to reach the same audience– we’d love to connect and collaborate with you!

Drop us a line here and we’ll get in touch.

my story

If you’ve gotten this far you must really be interested in Urban Cowgirl, so I’ll share the full story…

I’m a 7th-generation Texan from the Dallas/Fort Worth Area. My family has been in the Texas restaurant scene for almost 150 years—so I knew from a young age I was going to be a chef.

I’m the first classically trained chef in the family, and I knew from my second class in culinary school that I would strategically train to be a private chef so that I could be a mom.

I worked 2 years solid going to class by day, and catering high-end parties by night— it paid off in an invitation to work at a 4-star restaurant on the Riverwalk in San Antonio. This lasted 6 months before I opened my own business and almost immediately was hired as the private chef to Tony Parker and Eva Longoria. The celebrity clients continue to this day— I am an active private chef in Dallas for Tyler Seguin, Andy Dalton, Matt Kemp, and many other interesting Texans!

In 2010, I was invited to the White House for the Chef’s Move To Schools Program. I served as a Texas media ambassador for 1 year before my first son was born.

In 2014, I starred in the hit tv series Food Network Star, and went on to appear practically everywhere in Texas from The Blaze, to Good Morning Texas, Great Day SA, KDFA, Good Day Dallas, Good Day Houston, Rachel Ray, Hallmark Home and Family, and in countless print articles.

I have since appeared in almost 20 Food Network episodes and filmed 6 pilots with the best producers in food television.

Sarah filming a pilot

I have regularly written or contributed to Dallas Hotel Magazine, Houston Hotel Magazine, Dallas and Fort Worth Child Magazine, Fort Worth Star Telegram, Denton Record Chronicle, Dallas Morning News, and as a food writer for Galveston Daily News.

In the spring of 2017, I released my first cookbook, Urban Cowgirl – Food, Family Traditions, and Style for Modern Texas Life. It quickly became an Amazon Bestseller and now consistently ranks in the top 10 for the Southwest category.

I have joined live food festivals for stage performances and emceeing events and panels for Horseshoe Bay Food and Wine Festival, Zestfest, A Taste of Dallas, It’s Your Time Women’s Conference (Keynote Speaker), Texas Book Fest, Central Market Cooking Stage, Coppell VIP Barbecue and Concert, San Antonio Home and Garden Show, Travel Channel’s Travel and Adventure Show, and numerous demos at farmer’s markets and book signings.

For appearance information, please contact me directly using the contact tab.