Ashleigh Shanti facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ashleigh Shanti
Born	c. 1991 North Carolina, U.S.
Alma mater	Hampton University
Occupation	Chef, sommelier
Employer	Benne on Eagle
Known for	Black Appalachian cuisine, soul food, Southern food
Notes

Ashleigh Shanti (born around 1991) is an American chef and a sommelier. A sommelier is an expert in wines. She is a freelance chef, meaning she works for herself. Ashleigh Shanti is especially known for her work with African American food traditions. This includes a special type of cooking called Black Appalachian cuisine. From 2018 to 2020, she was the head chef at Benne on Eagle in Asheville, North Carolina.

Becoming a Chef: Ashleigh Shanti's Journey

Early Life and Learning

Ashleigh Shanti grew up in North Carolina. Before going to college, she took a year off to live in Nairobi, Kenya. After this trip, she went to Hampton University.

After graduating from Hampton, she moved to Baltimore, Maryland. There, she went to culinary school to learn how to cook professionally. Later, she also became a certified sommelier, which means she is an expert in wine.

Starting Her Culinary Career

Ashleigh Shanti started her career by working as a cook. She also helped plan food events in Virginia Beach, Virginia. After culinary school, she worked for famous chefs like Cindy Wolf in Baltimore. She also worked as a bartender and helped with catering events in El Paso, Texas.

For more than two years, Shanti was the cooking assistant for chef Vivian Howard. She helped Vivian Howard with her TV show, A Chef's Life. Ashleigh Shanti even appeared on an episode of Vivian Howard's other show, Somewhere South, called "Dumpling Dilemma."

Finding Her Unique Cooking Style

After working with Vivian Howard, Ashleigh Shanti traveled across the U.S. She was trying to figure out what kind of food she wanted to focus on. During her travels, she visited a restaurant called The Grey. She also went to a conference in Denmark. There, she heard Jeannette Ehlers speak about celebrating African history. These experiences inspired her. She also worked at minibar, a restaurant by chef José Andrés in Washington, D.C.

A special moment happened during a camping trip to Shenandoah National Park. Shanti saw a display about African Americans who lived in the Appalachian Mountains. Her own grandmother and great-grandmother had lived there. This discovery, combined with her family history, made Ashleigh Shanti want to explore Black Appalachian cuisine.

Opening Benne on Eagle

In October 2018, Ashleigh Shanti met John Fleer. He is a chef and owner of a restaurant called Rhubarb. They both shared an interest in celebrating African and African American cooking traditions. John Fleer hired Ashleigh Shanti to be the head chef at his new restaurant, Benne on Eagle. This restaurant opened in December 2018 at The Foundry Hotel in Asheville. Ashleigh Shanti helped create the menu there.

Awards and TV Appearances

Recognized for Her Talent

In 2019, Ashleigh Shanti was named one of "16 Black Chefs Changing Food in America" by The New York Times. That same year, Eater magazine named her one of their "Young Guns." Bon Appetit magazine also named Benne on Eagle one of the "Best New Restaurants." In 2020, Shanti was a semi-finalist for the James Beard Award for "Rising Star Chef of the Year." This is a very important award in the food world.

On Television

Ashleigh Shanti also competed on Top Chef: Houston. This was the nineteenth season of the popular TV show Top Chef, which aired in 2022.

New Projects

Her own restaurant, Good Hot Fish, was planned to open in January 2023. It's a modern take on a fish camp in South Asheville, North Carolina. In 2023, Ashleigh Shanti was also a judge for the National Gingerbread House Competition.

Ashleigh Shanti's Cooking Style

Ashleigh Shanti's cooking often explores Black Appalachian food. She also focuses on Southern food and soul food. She takes old Black American food traditions and gives them a modern twist. Her dishes also include ideas from West African, Japanese, European, and other American cooking styles.

Some of her unique dishes include:

• Hummus made with black-eyed peas and sesame.
• Okonomiyaki (a Japanese savory pancake) inspired by her mother's salmon and cabbage fritters.
• Buttermilk cornbread soup, based on her grandmother's recipe.
• Collard greens salad with fried plantain and sumac.
• Farro-vegetable hash with chermoula (a Moroccan sauce).
• Cornmeal pancakes with strawberry compote.
• Benne-seed biscuits with local country ham and hollandaise sauce.

Personal Life

Ashleigh Shanti enjoys rap music and writes rap songs in her free time.

Images for kids

• 

  Ashleigh Shanti, a chef and sommelier.