Sara Stewart Martinelli

Biography

Sara’s fascination with plants began in her childhood garden where she learned about the magic of the common violet (Viola odorata).  This humble little blossom inspired a lifetime of learning about plants and their medicinal, energetic, and magical properties.  This journey began in the same garden, with elaborate mud pies, infusions, and potions, and an early love of the history of spiritual plant uses and magical herbalism.

Sara graduated from the University of Colorado in 1991 with a degree in Anthropology, with emphasis on ethnobotany, nutrition, and the culture of food around the world.   Learning about how different foods become integral in the development of society, religion, and culture led Sara to explore the historic uses of herbs and their folkloric meanings.

After college, Sara completed a two year Herbal Medicine program at The Rocky Mountain Center for Botanical Studies in Boulder, Colorado.   This in-depth, comprehensive program deepened Sara’s appreciation for the power of botanicals, and their ability to be integrated into a holistic health protocol.

Sara, with her husband Lenny, also owns a number of local restaurants, including Leaf Vegetarian Restaurant, The Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse, The Chautauqua Dining Hall, Zucca Italian Ristorante, and The Huckleberry.   In her role at the Teahouse, Sara is the exlusive tea blender and specialist, and has created and developed countless tea and herbal blends.  The Teahouse was awarded the Nature’s Plate Award in 2012 by the Nature Conservancy honoring the country’s most sustainable restaurants.

In 2014, Sara and Lenny were inducted into the Boulder County Business Hall of Fame.  Sara also consults with the State of Colorado Tourism Board in the area of Agri-tourism.

In 2010, Sara and her husband purchased a small organic farm on which they grow produce for their restaurants, as well as many medicinal and magical herbs.  In 2013 Three Leaf Farm was bestowed the designation of a Botanical Sanctuary by the United Plant Savers due to their efforts to cultivate at-risk and endangered  species of medicinal plants as well as offering education opportunities through workshops, internships, and events. The farm is also home to a number of different animals including horses, goats, chickens, dogs, and cats, and Sara loves to treat her animals with herbs as much as possible.  She has also created a Three Leaf Farm line of herbal products and custom nutritional supplements for both animals and humans.

Sara has taught numerous workshops on both medicinal and spiritual uses of herbs, and has written articles for a variety of publications.