Green Valley Ranch buffet chef’s cooking and kindness get high marks from staff, customers alike

Behind the buffet counter at Green Valley Ranch Resort, Sarah Jameson — known to her co-workers and regular customers as Mama Sarah — is cooking another round of Cajun-style crab legs.

While people might be there to get a taste of her specialty, most are there simply to see her.

“They come by to say hi and give me hugs,” she said. “People are always calling me Mama. It makes me feel like heaven.”

Since the time she started working at the resort in 2001, Jameson, 78, has been known as the property mom.

In 2000, she had decided to retire and moved from New York to Las Vegas. “But I was depressed,” she said. “I went to see a doctor, and he told me I wasn’t used to not working. He suggested I get a job.”

Walking out of her doctor’s office, she noticed a job announcement for Green Valley Ranch Resort, 2300 Paseo Verde Parkway.

“So I applied and got hired,” she said.

After a brief break, Jameson was returning to work as a cook. Ever since starting there, she has been called “Mama” by her co-workers. She thinks it started because she was older than most of her employees. No matter the origins, the nickname stuck. Soon, everyone on the property began calling her Mama Sarah — or just Mama for short.

One day when she needed a new name tag, she was presented with one that said Mama Sarah. The name eventually stuck with regular customers who come into the buffet. But it wasn’t just the name that drew them in. Jameson is also known for her customer service.

People have written letters and comment cards expressing their adoration for Jameson. One of her most cherished acknowledgments is a drawing she was given by a child. After a child asked for a quesadilla, Jameson not only made it but went out of her way to find out where he was sitting to deliver it.

“And this little boy took the time to draw me a picture,” she said. “I tell you what, that’s more precious than money.”

After having medical problems, Jameson had to take time off from work. Her customers noticed.

Jameson was flooded with get-well cards from people she couldn’t remember by name — she said she remembers faces better than names.

“It was a pleasant surprise,” she said.

When she finally returned to work months later, her customers and staff were eager to welcome “Mama” back.

John Bray, the director of food and beverage at Green Valley Ranch Resort and Spa, has watched as Jameson has worked with customers.

“That was the first thing I noticed about her,” he said. “She would come out to greet customers and they would always hug her.”

Bray said people come specifically to see Jameson.

“When she is gone, people ask about her,” he added. “We have a very capable staff, but people want her.”

In addition to her name, Jameson is known for her Cajun cooking.

“I had one man’s wife come up to me,” Jameson said. “She wanted to meet the woman her husband was always talking about. I guess he kept telling her about my cooking.”

Jameson has been cooking since she was 16 and has had time to perfect her Cajun specialties — though she can cook a variety of cuisines. Every job she’s ever had has been a cook no matter where she’s lived, she said, whether it be New York or Chicago.

Once, in 1979, she was flown to Rome to prepare a special feast.

“I got to cook for the Pope,” Jameson said. “I prepared lobster thermidor, my specialty.”

Outside of work, she doesn’t cook much. Of course that all changes when family comes into town requesting their favorite meals.

“I’ll cook them anything they want,” she added.

Nearly 15 years later, Jameson still loves the work she is doing at Green Valley Ranch Resort, but she doesn’t know how much longer she will keep it up because of her health.

“Worst-case scenario, I’ll cut down to part time,” she said. “I have to come back to work Fridays and prepare my crab legs.”

To reach Henderson View reporter Michael Lyle, email mlyle@viewnews.com or call 702-387-5201. Find him on Twitter: @mjlyle.