Ashley Christensen is the chef/owner of Poole’s Diner, Beasley’s Chicken + Honey, Chuck’s, Fox Liquor Bar, Death & Taxes and Bridge Club, all located in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina. Ashley’s cooking--hinged on her philosophy of bright, fresh flavors and locally grown, seasonal ingredients--has garnered local and national acclaim. Ashley is involved in a number of charities, including the Frankie Lemmon Foundation, the Southern Foodways Alliance, and Share Our Strength. In 2014, Ashley was awarded the James Beard Award for “Best Chef: Southeast.” She received her second James Beard Award in 2019 for the category of “Outstanding Chef.” She has also been named Chef of the Year by Eater.com, and Tar Heel of the Year by the News & Observer. She is the author of the cookbook, Poole’s: Recipes and Stories from a Modern Diner, which was published by Ten Speed Press in fall 2016 and named one of the top cookbooks of the fall by the New York Times.