Derek Sarno is a chef and a rockstar in the vegan world and he’s on a mission to inspire you to cook and eat more plants.

He’s the Director of Plant-Based Innovation for Tesco PLC, and the Developer/Co-Founder of Wicked Kitchen. He helps lead Tesco’s plant-based team and the initiative to bring delicious, unpretentious plant-based foods to mainstream market.

Derek and his brother Chad are the founders of Wicked Healthy, LLC., Wicked Foods inc. and Good Catch Foods.

Prior to Tesco, Derek served as the Senior Global Executive Chef for Whole Foods Market, where he oversaw global recipe development for the company’s healthy eating initiative, worked with suppliers and leadership to develop and promote plant-based foods across the organization, and served as Culinary Director for the Whole Foods Academy for Conscious Leadership. Derek is a serial entrepreneur, founding several award-winning restaurants and food service companies in the United States. 

Derek is the co-author of the Whole Foods cookbook, and the Wicked Healthy Cookbook.

His journey has been fueled by curiosity and compassion, some of which he gained while living in a Buddhist monastery in Upstate New York, where he served as resident Chef & Gardener.

Derek’s story is all about expansion and his life is an example of what it means to never stop evolving.