Amber Sampson

Amber Sampson is an artistic, creative, passionate, activist, public speaker, researcher, and chef, who loves exploring the world through food. Sampson holds two degrees from Arizona State University, Cultural Anthropology, and Food Systems Sustainability. She is also a trained professional Chef, with a degree in Culinary Arts and Nutrition and a Master's in Gastronomy from Boston University. She studied food and race at Harvard University, brought ancient bread to life with fellow Anthropologists from Yale, and was awarded the prestigious US Government’s Gilman Scholarship for archeological research with Arizona’s O’odham Nations.

Using food as a universal language, her research focuses on the relationship between food and culture. Specifically, Sampson enjoys studying the anthropological relationship between food and culture in ancient times. Her work brings present-day relevance to ancient meals, people, and customs, giving others a taste and connection to our delicious past, revealing a more sustainable and understanding future. She's currently on the Adjunct Faculty teaching virtually at Boston University in the Gastronomy department and has worked with the S'edav Va'aki Museum (formerly Pueblo Grande Museum) in Phoenix, as the Indigenous Foodways Facilitator, and as the lead coordinator for the Arizona Native Edible Experience. In 2024 She was selected by the US Department of State to be the Arizona representative for the Global Food Security Summit. You can find Sampson in the warm Southwestern desert of Arizona, teaching culinary, foraging, cooking, researching, gardening, and exploring our tasty past.