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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Mashama Bailey is a famous American chef. She learned to cook using French cooking styles. Now, she is known for making delicious Southern food. In 2019, she won a special award called the James Beard Award for being the best chef in the Southeast. She won another big award, the James Beard Award for Outstanding Chef, in 2022.
Early Life and Learning
Mashama Bailey was born in the Bronx, New York. Her parents are David and Catherine Bailey. She was the oldest of three children. When she was 2, her family moved to Waynesboro, Georgia. Then, at age 5, they moved to Savannah, Georgia. Finally, when she was 11, they moved to Queens, New York. Mashama learned how to cook from her mom and grandma.
After finishing Francis Lewis High School, Mashama went to Sullivan County Community College. She first studied physical therapy, which helps people recover from injuries. Later, she changed her studies to social work, which helps people in their communities.
Early in her career, Mashama worked at a place that helps people without homes in Brooklyn, New York. When that job ended, it made her think about what she really wanted to do. This led her to explore cooking! She joined a cooking school called Peter Kump's New York Cooking School. After she graduated, she started her cooking career at a restaurant called Aquagrill in SoHo.
Mashama wanted to see all the different jobs she could do in cooking. So, she took a break from restaurants. During this time, she worked as a personal chef for a family. Her grandma had also worked in homes in Manhattan. Mashama's grandma worked for several families, including the famous actor Art Carney.
Working as a personal chef wasn't exactly what Mashama hoped for. So, she applied for a special program that took her to Château du Fey in Burgundy, France. There, she learned from a mentor named Anne Willan. Anne told Mashama that she should keep cooking in restaurants instead of trying to write about food.
Her Cooking Career
Mashama started her cooking journey as an intern at Aquagrill in 2001. She also worked at other well-known restaurants like David Burke and Donatella, and the Oak Room inside the famous Plaza Hotel. In 2010, Mashama got a job at a restaurant called Prune. She quickly became a sous-chef, which is like the second-in-command in the kitchen. She worked there for four years.
A business owner named John O. Morisano heard about Mashama. He learned about her from the chef of Prune, Gabrielle Hamilton. John reached out to Mashama because he had bought an old Greyhound bus station in Savannah. This station had been empty for a long time. It was a place that used to be separated by race because of old Jim Crow laws. This meant people of different races had to use different parts of the building.
Right across the street from this old station is the Chatham County Courthouse. This is where Mashama's parents got married in the 1980s! The restaurant they opened in the old station was named The Grey. In 2015, it was nominated for a James Beard Foundation Award for being one of the best new restaurants.
On October 15, 2018, Mashama Bailey and John Morisano opened another place in Savannah called The Grey Market. It was inspired by old Southern lunch counters and New York City corner stores. Since 2017, Mashama has also been the chairwoman of the Edna Lewis Foundation. This group works to remember and celebrate the history of African-American cooking. They help people understand more about Southern food and culture in America.
Awards She Won
- The Grey was named one of Food & Wine's best restaurants in 2019.
- She won the James Beard Award for Best Chef in the Southeast in 2019.
- In 2018, she was nominated for the James Beard Foundation Award for Best Chef in the Southeast.
- The Grey was one of Food & Wine's best restaurants in 2015.
- The Grey was chosen as the Restaurant of the Year by Eater in 2017.
- Time magazine picked The Grey as one of the best 100 places in the world in 2018.
- She won the James Beard Award for Outstanding Chef in 2022.
On Television
Mashama Bailey has also been on TV! She was a featured chef in the sixth season of Netflix's show Chef's Table. She was also a guest on season 14, episode 6 of Top Chef.
