Mashama Bailey facts for kids
Bailey's restaurant, The Grey, in Savannah, Georgia
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| Born | Mashama Bailey Bronx, New York |
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| Cooking style | Southern cuisine French technique |
| Education | Francis Lewis High School Sullivan County Community College Brooklyn College Institute of Culinary Education |
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Current restaurant(s)
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Previous restaurant(s)
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Television show(s)
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Mashama Bailey is a famous American chef. She is known for her amazing Southern cooking. She uses special French cooking methods.
Mashama Bailey has won many important awards for her cooking. In 2019, she won a James Beard Award for being the best chef in the Southeast. She won another James Beard Award in 2022 as an "Outstanding Chef." These awards are like the "Oscars" for chefs!
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Early Life and Learning to Cook
Mashama Bailey was born in the Bronx, New York. Her parents are David and Catherine Bailey. She is the oldest of three children.
When she was young, Mashama moved around a lot. She lived in Waynesboro, Georgia and Savannah, Georgia. Later, she moved to Queens, New York. Mashama learned how to cook from her mom and grandma. They taught her many family recipes.
School and New Paths
After high school, Mashama went to Sullivan County Community College. She first studied physical therapy, which helps people move better. Then she changed to social work, which helps people in need.
Mashama worked at a homeless shelter in Brooklyn, New York. When that job ended, she decided to try something new. She realized she loved cooking! So, she went to a special cooking school called Peter Kump's New York Cooking School. After graduating, she started her cooking career at a restaurant called Aquagrill.
Mashama wanted to learn even more about cooking jobs. She took a break from restaurants to work as a personal chef. This meant she cooked for one family in their home. Later, she got to study cooking in Burgundy, France. There, a famous chef named Anne Willan told her to keep cooking in restaurants.
Becoming a Top Chef
Mashama Bailey started her restaurant career in 2001. She worked at several well-known places. In 2010, she joined a restaurant called Prune. She quickly became a sous-chef, which is like a head assistant chef. She worked there for four years.
The Grey Restaurant
A businessman named John O. Morisano heard about Mashama. He had bought an old Greyhound bus station in Savannah, Georgia. This station used to be segregated because of Jim Crow laws. This meant Black and white people had to use separate areas. Morisano wanted to turn it into a restaurant.
Mashama thought this was a special place. Her parents had gotten married across the street from it! The new restaurant was named The Grey. It quickly became very popular. In 2015, it was nominated for a James Beard Foundation Award for Best New Restaurant.
More Restaurants and Helping Others
In 2018, Mashama and John opened another place called The Grey Market. It's like a mix of a Southern lunch counter and a New York City bodega.
Mashama also helps lead the Edna Lewis Foundation. This group works to celebrate and share the history of African-American cooking. They want people to understand more about Southern food and culture.
Awards and Recognition
Mashama Bailey and The Grey restaurant have won many awards:
- The Grey was named one of Food & Wine magazine's best restaurants in 2015 and 2019.
- In 2017, The Grey was chosen as the Restaurant of the Year by Eater.
- Time magazine picked The Grey as one of the best 100 places in the world in 2018.
- Mashama won the James Beard Award for Best Chef in the Southeast in 2019.
- She won the James Beard Award for Outstanding Chef in 2022.
On Television
Mashama Bailey has also been on TV!
