Ashley Christensen

Photo Credit: Paul Mehaffey

NC Catch Chef Ambassador Ashley Christensen runs the highly acclaimed Raleigh restaurants Poole’s Diner, Beasley’s Chicken + Honey, and Death & Taxes. She also operates AC Events, a take-out kitchen named Clubhouse and the cocktail lounge Fox Liquor Bar.

Chef Christensen, a Greensboro native, was raised cooking local. “Both of my folks were amazing cooks,” she said. “We had huge gardens and practiced preservation from canning to freezing. They cooked most meals, and on weekends, made an all-day production out of it.”

Chef Christensen is not just devoted to fresh, local seafood. She also supports the people who harvest, pack and sell the catch.

Chef Christensen is a two-time James Beard Award winner for Best Chef: Southeast 2014 & Outstanding Chef 2019.

Follow Chef Christensen on Instagram @ashley_christensen