Sara Quinteros is a business leader whose career has been built at the intersection of healthcare, entrepreneurship, food, hospitality and commercial growth.

 

Today, Sara works in rare-disease pharmaceuticals while simultaneously building and operating consumer-facing food businesses in Washington, DC. She is the owner of Cowbell Seafood & Oyster and Fancy Ranch Amish Fried Chicken and serves in leadership roles within the restaurant and hospitality industry.

 

Her professional path began in hospitality, where she developed a foundation in operations, service, business development and brand building. She went on to pursue culinary training at the Culinary Institute of America and a master’s degree in Nutrition Sciences and Dietetics from Syracuse University, eventually spending nearly a decade working in pediatric genetics and metabolic medicine.

 

That clinical experience became a bridge into the pharmaceutical industry, where Sara now works in rare disease. Her ability to translate complex science into meaningful conversations with healthcare professionals, understand the needs of patients and families, and operate with a commercial mindset has become a defining part of her leadership perspective.

 

Outside of healthcare, Sara is an entrepreneur and operator. She has built businesses across restaurants, food and hospitality, including Shilling Canning Company, Cowbell Seafood & Oyster and Fancy Ranch. Through these ventures, she has developed experience in strategy, operations, business development, brand positioning, partnerships, customer experience and growth.

 

Sara also brings her perspective to the broader industry through board service. She serves as a Trustee of the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation and remains actively engaged with Penn State’s hospitality community. Her board work reflects a growing commitment to governance, education, workforce development and the future of the food and hospitality industries.

 

Her work has been recognized through honors including Washington Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 and the James Beard Foundation’s Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership Program.

 

Sara holds an Executive MBA from Quantic School of Business and Technology, an M.S. in Nutrition Sciences and Dietetics from Syracuse University, culinary training from the Culinary Institute of America, and a B.S. in Hospitality Management from Penn State University.

 

She is particularly interested in opportunities that bring together people, ideas and businesses to create meaningful growth—and in building organizations that are commercially successful, culturally relevant and built to last.