Dr Sara Abhari

Dr Sara Abhari

  • Lecturer
Department of Culinary and Food Studies
  • School of Hospitality and Tourism Management

Biography

Sara Abhari possesses more than 10 years of experience in the hospitality industry, working as an event planner and an executive catering chef. Her career in food and beverage kickstarted in 2002 as a food entrepreneur and co-founder of a catering kitchen (S.Kitchen). Her wealth of knowledge and skills in this area of hospitality has also opened up other opportunities where she also became a culinary consultant and instructor. Sara is also an enthusiastic writer and was formerly a food writer and critic for the International Nutrition and Diet Magazine.  

Academic & Professional Qualifications

  • PhD in Tourism and Hospitality Management, Universiti Sains Malaysia (2023)
  • Master of Business Administration (MBA), INTI International University (2019)
  • BSc in Microbiology, Azad University, Tehran (2000)
  • Diploma in Culinary Arts, INTI International College Penang (2016)
  • International Diploma in Culinary Arts, Kendall College Chicago, USA (2017)
  • Certificate in Technical and Vocational Skill in Cook (advanced)
  • Certificate in Technical and Vocational Skill in General Pedagogy
  • Certificate in Technical and Vocational Skill in Confectionary

Research Interests

  • Tourism marketing
  • Gastronomy Tourism
  • Food Entrepreneurship
  • Community-based Tourism
  • Tourist Behavior
  • Sustainable Tourism
  • Foodservice Technology
  • Event Planning and Operation
  • Halal Food Tourism
  • Ecotourism

Courses Taught

  • Culinary Kitchen Operations
  • Food and Beverage Management
  • Purchasing and Cost Control
  • Event Planning and Management

Notable Publications

  1. 2021 - Jaafar, M., Jalali, A., Dahalan, N., & Abhari, S. (2021). Sculpting a Community for Tourism Enterprise: A Case Study in Lenggong Valley, Malaysia. International Journal of Business and Society.

Achievements & Accolades

  1. THE-ICE External Research Grant Scheme 2024 (ongoing), External Grant, Project Leader (Principal Investigator)
  2. Asia Pacific Centre for Hospitality Research (APCHR) Fund, Internal Grant 2023,  Project Leader (Principal Investigator)
  3. The Mediating Role of Tourist Satisfaction on the Image of Food and Tourist Loyalty (2019-2022)
  4. Contributed to Cultural Economy Development Agency (CENDANA) (2021)
  5. Understanding the Meaning-making of World Heritage Sites (2019-2020)

Professional Associations

Attained the APCHR Seed Funding (2023) for research project: Studying the Impact of the New Innovative AI Technology (ChatGPT) as a Learning Tool in Hospitality and Tourism Education, A Study of Active Students in the School of Hospitality, Tourism, and Service Management at private Universities in the Klang Valley, Malaysia