Sara Jayne Stanes

Sara Jane Stanes (1946–2021) was chief executive of the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts from 1996 to 2021, developing the academy's mission to raise standards in the hospitality industry through education and training opportunities. She spent many years as a chocolatier and was an ardent chocolate evangelist through her later career. She was chairman of the Academy of Chocolate which launched in 2005 to encourage chocolate lovers to ‘look beyond the label’. Sara was passionate about the provenance of ingredients, origins, varieties, breeds, organics and sustainability; and particularly chocolate. 'Chocolate - the Definitive Guide' won the Guild of Food Writers’ Jeremy Round Award in 2000; was nominated for the 2000 Andre Simon Awards; winner of Best Book in the English language in the 2000 World Cookbook Fair Awards in Perigeux; and was nominated for a ‘Ladle’ in the 2001 Australian Jacob’s Creek Media Awards. Her second book 'Chocolate - Discovering Exploring Enjoying' was published in 2005 and won the best book in its category in the World Food Awards in 2006. She has also written numerous articles on chocolate; and contributed to both radio and television programmes Together with Chantal Coady OBE, Martin Christy, Chloe Doutre Roussel, William Curley MCA and Sarah Jane Evans MW and inspired by Kate Johns, in 2005, Sara launched the Academy of Chocolate created to broaden the knowledge and perspective of chocolate versus confectionery. Activities cover (now) annual Chocolate Awards that attracts entries from, across the globe; events and masterclasses and a biennial Conference.