Ashley Christensen is the chef/owner of Poole’s Diner, Beasley’s Chicken + Honey, Chuck’s, Fox Liquor Bar, Joule Coffee + Table, 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.” Her first cookbook, Poole’s: Recipes and Stories from a Modern Diner, is due out in September 2016 from Ten Speed Press.