Ashleigh Shanti is a talented chef who has gained recognition in the culinary world. Shanti specializes in African American foodways, including Black Appalachian cuisine. From 2018 until 2020 she was the chef de cuisine of Benne on Eagle in Asheville, North Carolina. In 2019, Shanti was named one of “16 Black Chefs Changing Food in America” by The New York Times. That same year, she was also named one of Eater’s “Young Guns” of the year and Benne on Eagle was named one of Bon Appetit’s Best New Restaurants. Shanti was named a semi-finalist for the 2020 James Beard Award for “Rising Star Chef of the Year.”
