Katie Button facts for kids
Katie Button, born in 1983, is an American chef and a person who owns and manages restaurants. She is the main chef and boss of a group of restaurants called Katie Button Restaurants. This group includes Cúrate Bar de Tapas and La Bodega by Cúrate, both located in Asheville, North Carolina. Katie also runs an online Spanish food market, Cúrate at Home, and a company that organizes food-related trips, Cúrate Trips.
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Katie Button's Journey to Becoming a Chef
Katie Button was born in South Carolina and grew up in New Jersey. She went to Cornell University and later earned a master's degree in biomedical engineering in Paris, France.
Her journey into the food world started when she worked as a server at restaurants in Washington, DC. She then moved to Spain with her husband, Félix Meana, to work at a famous restaurant called El Bulli. It was there that she truly fell in love with cooking and decided to become a chef.
Katie spent a year learning from well-known chefs like José Andrés and Jean-Georges Vongerichten. She even returned to El Bulli for seven months to specialize in making desserts.
Starting Cúrate Bar de Tapas
In 2011, Katie and Félix moved to Asheville, North Carolina. With her parents, they opened Cúrate Bar de Tapas. This restaurant serves Spanish tapas, which are small, delicious dishes.
Cúrate Bar de Tapas quickly became very popular. It received many awards and was mentioned in famous newspapers like The Wall Street Journal and the New York Times.
Expanding Her Restaurants
In 2018, Katie Button and her team opened another restaurant called Button & Co. Bagels. Later, during the COVID-19 pandemic, they changed their business plan. They expanded the Cúrate brand and opened La Bodega by Cúrate in the same spot where the bagel shop used to be.
Awards and TV Appearances
Katie Button has been recognized many times for her amazing cooking skills. She has been nominated for the prestigious James Beard Award four times. This award is like the "Oscars" for chefs!
In 2015, Food & Wine magazine named her one of the "Best New Chefs." She also hosted a TV show called The World's Best Chefs on the National Geographic Channel. You might have also seen her as a guest on other TV shows like Scraps on the FYI Network and The Dish on CBS This Morning Saturday.
Important Restaurant Awards
Her restaurant, Cúrate, has also won big awards. In 2018, Esquire magazine called it one of the "40 Most Important Restaurants of the Decade." Wine Enthusiast magazine also recognized Cúrate as one of the nation's "100 Best Wine Restaurants."
Sharing Her Knowledge
Katie Button is not just a chef; she also helps other chefs and works to improve the restaurant industry. She attended a special program called the James Beard Foundation Boot Camp for Policy and Change. She is also part of the leadership team for the Independent Restaurant Coalition, which supports independent restaurants.
In October 2016, Katie published her first cookbook. It's called Cúrate: Authentic Spanish Food from an American Kitchen. The book shares her love for Spanish cooking and teaches people how to make classic Spanish dishes at home using fresh, local ingredients.
Family Life
Katie Button is married to Félix Meana. They have two children together.
Major Awards and Nominations
- Semi-finalist for James Beard Rising Star Chef award: 2012 and 2013
- James Beard finalist for Rising Star Chef award: 2014
- Food & Wine magazine’s Best New Chefs: 2015
- Semi-finalist for James Beard Best Chefs in America: 2015
- James Beard nominee for Best Chefs in America: 2018, 2019, and 2020
