About Chef Samantha
Chef Samantha creates culinary pop-up events and caters for private occasions. These events are more than meals - they are celebrations of place and culture, inviting you to taste, learn, and experience something new.
Chef Sam brings the world to you. With her vast knowledge of global flavors and regional ingredients, you are transported through dishes that tell a story and connect people across cultures. For Chef Samantha, it’s more than just food - it’s a shared experience, whether we’re in your kitchen or across the globe.
Passionate about experiential travel, Chef Sam hosts one-of-a-kind gastronomic tours to locations like Peru, South Africa, Georgia, Italy, and Mexico, introducing travelers to cultures, traditions, and culinary delights. She also leads private culinary tours upon request.
As an expert in her field, Chef Samantha has consulted on numerous culinary projects, including food styling, product development, menu audits, and food and drink consulting.
More History
Originally from South Africa, Samantha Buyskes has been cooking, teaching, and catering in Finger Lakes, New York for over 30 years. Her first restaurant was Simply Red, which opened in Trumansburg in 2002. Simply Red was followed with an extension pop up in Sheldrake Vineyards until 2012.
Following this, she opened a cutting-edge food at Kindred Fare and H. J. Stead in Geneva, New York. She helped establish the epicurean roots for the locally and regionally sourced food movement.
Chef Samantha released her first cookbook, Mama Red’s Comfort Kitchen in 2008. Many of her recipes and features have been showcased in local issues of Edible Finger Lakes, the Edible Communities Cookbook, and Rochester Farmers Cookbook.
In 2011, she had the adventure of competing on Food Network’s Chopped, Season 6 premiere episode. Her ingredients were goat’s brains and fish heads. Everyday staples, right?
This same year, she was listed in Rochester Magazine as one of the Top 20 women to know. Chef Samantha’s passion for food and community keeps her involved with amazing organizations such as Share our Strength and Foodlink.
In January 2020, Chef Samantha headed up a team of 7 amazing women from the Finger Lakes, showcasing some of the best at The James Beard House in NYC.
In April 2026, Chef Sam will bring Simply Red Kitchen & Culinary Adventure to the historic downtown of Eureka Springs, Arkansas.
