Anne Kearney facts for kids

Anne Kearney is a talented American chef and restaurateur (which means she owns and manages restaurants). She is famous for her delicious cooking. In 2002, she won a very important prize called the James Beard Foundation award for being the "Best Chef" in the Southeast region of the United States.

Anne Kearney's cooking style is a unique American take on Provençal food. Provençal food comes from the Provence region in France and often uses fresh ingredients like olive oil, tomatoes, and herbs. She serves this style of food in a bistro, which is a small, informal restaurant.

Early Life and Training

Anne Kearney was born in Ohio. She learned how to cook and became a chef at the Greater Cincinnati Culinary Arts Academy. This is where she earned her "toque," which is the tall white hat chefs wear.

Her Culinary Journey

After finishing her culinary training, Anne Kearney moved to New Orleans. This city is famous for its amazing food! She worked in several restaurants there, including Mr. B's Bistro. Later, she joined Bistro at the Maison de Ville hotel, working with a chef named John Neal.

In 1991, she followed John Neal to another restaurant called Peristyle. When John Neal sadly passed away, Anne Kearney, who was only 27 years old, bought Peristyle from his family. This was a big step for her!

Anne says that working as a sous-chef (which is like a second-in-command chef) at Peristyle taught her many classic French cooking skills. She also spent three years working with the famous chef Emeril Lagasse. During that time, she cooked in the kitchen, helped create recipes for cookbooks, and even researched and wrote scripts for Emeril's TV shows. Soon after John Neal died, Anne returned to Peristyle as its main chef and owner.

In 2004, Anne Kearney decided to sell Peristyle and move back to Ohio. She spent some time working on her organic garden, which she called "Two Small Tomatoes." She loved growing natural, healthy ingredients.

On November 27, 2007, Anne opened her own restaurant in Ohio called Rue Dumaine. The name "Rue Dumaine" was special because it was the name of the street where her old restaurant, Peristyle, had been located in New Orleans. Rue Dumaine quickly became very popular and won many awards for its food.

In July 2017, Anne closed Rue Dumaine because the building where it was located was sold. She wanted to explore new cooking adventures.

Then, in February 2019, Anne Kearney was asked to become the executive chef and a partner at a new restaurant called Oak & Ola. This restaurant is in Tampa, Florida, and serves "Euro-American" food. This new role allowed her to use her love for French ingredients and flavors, but also to explore tastes from other European countries like Italy, Germany, Spain, England, and Belgium.

Awards and Recognition

Anne Kearney has received many honors for her cooking skills:

• 2012: She was a finalist for the James Beard Foundation Award for "Best Chef" in the Great Lakes Region.
• 2011: Her restaurant won an OpenTable Diners' Choice Award.
• 2010: Zagat (a famous restaurant guide) rated her food as "Extraordinary to Perfection."
• 2002: She won the James Beard Foundation Award for "Best Chef" in the Southeast Region.
• 2001: She was a finalist for the James Beard Foundation Award for "Best Chef" in the Southeast Region.
• 1999: She was a finalist for the James Beard Foundation Award for "Best Chef" in the Southeast Region.
• 1998: Food & Wine magazine featured Anne Kearney on the cover of its "10 Best New Chefs in America" issue.
• 1998: Gourmet magazine listed Peristyle among its top food choices in New Orleans.
• 1997: She was nominated for the Gallo of Sonoma Rising Star Chef Award.