Our South: Black Food Through My Lens
Chef Ashleigh Shanti takes readers on a culinary journey through the microregions of the American South specific to her upbringing and life. Her unique perspective as a Black, queer, female chef, combined with her familial roots, has led her to become an expert in this unexplored subject. In this book, Ashleigh explores five regions; Backcountry (Black Appalachia South), Lowcountry (Gullah-Geechee), Midlands (The Black Agricultual Mecca), Lowlands (the dishes from Ashleigh's Coastal Virginia childhood), and Homeland (the food she cooks today). Ashleigh invites everyone to have a seat at her table, with the hope that her recipes expose you to dishes you've never tried before, or you find dishes that remind you of home.
Chef Ashleigh Shanti takes readers on a culinary journey through the microregions of the American South specific to her upbringing and life. Her unique perspective as a Black, queer, female chef, combined with her familial roots, has led her to become an expert in this unexplored subject. In this book, Ashleigh explores five regions; Backcountry (Black Appalachia South), Lowcountry (Gullah-Geechee), Midlands (The Black Agricultual Mecca), Lowlands (the dishes from Ashleigh's Coastal Virginia childhood), and Homeland (the food she cooks today). Ashleigh invites everyone to have a seat at her table, with the hope that her recipes expose you to dishes you've never tried before, or you find dishes that remind you of home.
Chef Ashleigh Shanti takes readers on a culinary journey through the microregions of the American South specific to her upbringing and life. Her unique perspective as a Black, queer, female chef, combined with her familial roots, has led her to become an expert in this unexplored subject. In this book, Ashleigh explores five regions; Backcountry (Black Appalachia South), Lowcountry (Gullah-Geechee), Midlands (The Black Agricultual Mecca), Lowlands (the dishes from Ashleigh's Coastal Virginia childhood), and Homeland (the food she cooks today). Ashleigh invites everyone to have a seat at her table, with the hope that her recipes expose you to dishes you've never tried before, or you find dishes that remind you of home.
About the Author:
Ashleigh Shanti has been working in restaurants since she was a teenager. She graduated from culinary school at Baltimore International College in 2013 and went on to stage at Minibar in Washington, D.C., and act as culinary assistant for Vivian Howard before becoming chef de cuisine at John Fleer's Benne on Eagle in Asheville, North Carolina. Today, she is the chef-owner of Good Hot Fish in the same city. She was named an Eater Young Gun in 2019 and was a finalist for the James Beard Rising Star Chef of the Year award in 2020. She also competed in season 19 of Bravo's Top Chef. Raised from Virginia Beach, Virginia, she now lives in Asheville with her wife, Meaghan, and their dog, Roux.
