Ashleigh Shanti

Shanti is originally from North Carolina. She lived in Nairobi, Kenya for a gap year break from university. Upon her return, she attended Hampton University. After graduating from Hampton, she moved to Baltimore, Maryland to attend culinary school. She eventually earned her sommelier certification.

Early in her career, Shanti worked as a cook and culinary event producer in Virginia Beach, Virginia. After culinary school, she worked for Cindy Wolf at Charleston and Cinghiale in Baltimore, Maryland. She bartended briefly and worked in catering in El Paso, Texas.

For over two years, Shanti worked as Vivian Howard's culinary assistant. Shanti supported Howard's work in A Chef's Life.{{cite web |last1=Endolyn |first1=Osayi |title=The Chef Celebrating African-American Appalachia Through Her Cooking |url=https://www.eater.com/young-guns-rising-stars/2019/6/3/18646491/ashleigh-shanti-chef-benne-on-eagle-asheville-eater-young-guns-2019 |website=Eater |accessdate=20 April 2020 |language=en |date=3 June 2019 |archive-date=21 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190821070601/https://www.eater.com/young-guns-rising-stars/2019/6/3/18646491/ashleigh-shanti-chef-benne-on-eagle-asheville-eater-young-guns-2019 |url-status=live }}{{cite web |last1=Canavan |first1=Hillary Dixler |title=Meet the Eater Young Guns Class of '19 |url=https://www.eater.com/2019/4/17/18260324/eater-young-guns-awards-2019-meet-the-winners |website=Eater |accessdate=20 April 2020 |language=en |date=17 April 2019 |archive-date=12 April 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200412092516/https://www.eater.com/2019/4/17/18260324/eater-young-guns-awards-2019-meet-the-winners |url-status=live }} Shanti appeared alongside Howard in the episode "Dumpling Dilemma" of Howard's television show Somewhere South.{{cite web |title=Somewhere South: Dumpling Dilemma |url=https://www.pbs.org/food/features/somewhere-south-dumpling-dilemma/ |website=PBS Food |access-date=20 April 2020 |archive-date=20 April 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200420012929/https://www.pbs.org/food/features/somewhere-south-dumpling-dilemma/ |url-status=dead }}

Upon leaving her position with Howard, Shanti began traveling the U.S., struggling to figure out where and what she wanted to do or where she wanted to live. During her travels, she was inspired by her visit to The Grey and a conference in Denmark, where she saw Jeannette Ehlers talk about reclaiming African history. She worked at minibar, the José Andrés restaurant in Washington, D.C.

During a camping trip to Shenandoah National Park, Shanti saw a display at the visitors center about African Americans in Appalachia. Her grandmother and great-grandmother lived in the Appalachian Mountain. The culmination of the display and her maternal heritage inspired Shanti to begin pursuing Black Appalachian cuisine.

In October 2018, Shanti met John Fleer, owner-chef of Rhubarb. Fleer and Shanti had similar culinary interests: celebrating African and African American culinary traditions. Fleer hired Shanti serve as chef de cuisine and to help create the menu at Benne on Eagle, the restaurant at The Foundry Hotel in Asheville. The restaurant opened in December 2018.{{cite web |last1=Jacobs |first1=Chris |title=The Shift List – Ashleigh Shanti (Benne on Eagle) – Asheville, N.C. |url=https://thebluegrasssituation.com/read/the-shift-list-ashleigh-shanti-benne-on-eagle-asheville-n-c/ |website=The Bluegrass Situation |accessdate=20 April 2020 |date=12 September 2019 |archive-date=20 April 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200420012059/https://thebluegrasssituation.com/read/the-shift-list-ashleigh-shanti-benne-on-eagle-asheville-n-c/ |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |last=Mastrianni |first=Keia |date=October 13, 2022 |title=Chef Ashleigh Shanti Brings History, Memory, and the Art of Gathering to the Table |url=https://www.southernliving.com/food/chef-ashleigh-shanti-fall-dinner |access-date=2023-02-01 |website=Southern Living |language=en}}

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."{{cite news |last1=Lunsford |first1=Mackensy |title=5 James Beard semifinalists in Asheville: What that means and how you can try the food |url=https://www.citizen-times.com/story/news/local/2020/02/26/5-james-beard-semifinalists-in-asheville-restaurants-food-chefs/4880157002/ |accessdate=20 April 2020 |work=Citizen Times |date=26 February 2020 |language=en |archive-date=8 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220508153923/https://www.citizen-times.com/story/news/local/2020/02/26/5-james-beard-semifinalists-in-asheville-restaurants-food-chefs/4880157002/ |url-status=live }}

Shanti competed in Top Chef: Houston, the nineteenth season of the television series Top Chef, which aired in 2022.{{cite web|url=https://www.foodandwine.com/news/top-chef/top-chef-season-19-houston-chefs-cast-premiere-date|date=January 24, 2022|access-date=January 24, 2022|last=Campbell-Schmitt|first=Adam|website=Food & Wine|title='Top Chef' Houston: Here Are All the Chefs Competing This Season|archive-date=January 24, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220124200024/https://www.foodandwine.com/news/top-chef/top-chef-season-19-houston-chefs-cast-premiere-date|url-status=live}}

Her restaurant, Good Hot Fish, a modern-day fish camp was set to open in January 2023 in South Asheville, North Carolina.{{cite web |last1=Miller-Ka |first1=Nikki |title=Chef Ashleigh Shanti Pops Up Across North Carolina Before Good Hot Fish Opens This Fall |url=https://carolinas.eater.com/2022/5/19/23130202/chef-ashleigh-shanti-asheville |website=Easter Carolinas |date=19 May 2022 |access-date=1 February 2023}} Shanti was a judge for the National Gingerbread House Competition in 2023.{{Cite news |last=Norris |first=Rebecca |date=2023-11-24 |title=Celebrating the 31st National Gingerbread Competition |url=https://www.countryliving.com/life/entertainment/g45921662/national-gingerbread-house-competition/ |access-date=2024-10-22 |work=Country Living}}

Shanti's cuisine often explores Black Appalachian food, Southern food and soul food. Her modern interpretations of early Black American food also incorporates West African, Japanese, European and American cuisine.

Examples of dishes created by Shanti includes hummus made with black-eyed peas and sesame; okonomiyaki inspired by her mother's salmon and cabbage fritters; buttermilk cornbread soup, the latter based on her grandmother's recipe; collard greens salad with fried plantain and sumac; farro-vegetable hash with chermoula; cornmeal pancakes with strawberry compote; and benne-seed biscuits with local country ham and hollandaise.{{cite web |last1=Stanek |first1=Amiel |title=4 Decadent Brunch Recipes, for When You Really Need to Treat Yourself |url=https://www.bonappetit.com/gallery/benne-on-eagle-brunch |website=Bon Appétit |date=17 April 2020 |accessdate=20 April 2020 |language=en |archive-date=20 April 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200420012559/https://www.bonappetit.com/gallery/benne-on-eagle-brunch |url-status=live }}

Shanti loves rap music and writes rap songs in her free time.

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• {{instagram|foodordeath_}}
• [https://www.bpr.org/post/while-chef-ashleigh-shanti-works-home-shes-staying-fight-her-staff "While Chef Ashleigh Shanti Works From Home, She's Staying In The Fight For Her Staff"] from Blue Ridge Public Radio

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Category:1990s births

Category:American sommeliers

Category:People from Asheville, North Carolina

Category:Chefs from North Carolina

Category:Hampton University alumni

Category:American women chefs

Category:LGBTQ chefs

Category:LGBTQ people from North Carolina

Category:Living people

Category:21st-century African-American people

Category:21st-century African-American women