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Ashley Christensen

James Beard Award-Winning Chef, Restaurateur & Cookbook Author

  Categories:
Celebrity Chefs, Food, Virtual Speakers
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Ashley Christensen Biography

Since making Raleigh her home, Ashley Christensen has sought to foster community through food, philanthropy and the stimulation of the city’s downtown neighborhood.

Christensen began cooking while in college, throwing dinner parties for her friends and family. These intimate gatherings helped her recognize her passion for cooking and sharing food, and ultimately led to her first professional cooking job at the age of 21. Upon taking the position, she knew she had found her life’s work.

After working in some of the Triangle’s top kitchens, Christensen opened Poole’s Diner in 2007, which takes its name and décor from the building’s original tenant—one of downtown Raleigh’s first restaurants. The shotgun space offers an evolving chalkboard menu of comfort-food classics, re-imagined through a philosophy of locally grown, seasonal ingredients and French-influenced technique.

In 2011, Christensen opened three new ventures, all housed in a corner building once occupied by a Piggly Wiggly. Beasley’s Chicken + Honey is an ode to fried chicken and classic Southern sides; Chuck’s offers burgers and frites with signature updates; and Fox Liquor Bar, housed in the building’s basement, features a menu of more than 50 craft cocktails, as well as beer, wine and bar snacks.

In the spring of 2015, AC Restaurants introduced Death & Taxes, a restaurant celebrating wood-fire cooking with Southern ingredients, and Bridge Club, a private events loft and cooking classroom. Death & Taxes was a 2016 James Beard Award finalist for Best New Restaurant, and Food & Wine listed it as one the Best New Restaurants of the Year. And most recently, in the fall of 2019, Poole’side Pies opened next door to Poole’s Diner, featuring Christensen’s take on Neapolitan-style pizza.

When she’s not in the kitchen, Christensen focuses her time on a number of local and regional charities. She has served as a board member of the Frankie Lemmon foundation and is a co-chair of its annual fundraising event, Triangle Wine Experience. She has also served on the board of Raleigh’s Contemporary Art Museum and the Downtown Raleigh Alliance. She is an active member of the Southern Foodways Alliance and founded the biannual event Stir the Pot, in which she hosts visiting chefs in Raleigh to raise funds for the SFA’s documentary initiatives.

Christensen’s work has gained national attention from such publications as Bon Appétit, Gourmet, The New York Times, Southern Living, Wall Street Journal, and Garden & Gun. She has appeared on Food Network’s popular series Iron Chef America and MSNBC’s Your Business.

In 2014, Christensen was awarded the James Beard Award for “Best Chef: Southeast,” and in 2019 she was awarded the James Beard Award in the “Outstanding Chef” category. Christensen was named Chef of the Year by Eater.com in 2017. 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.

Contact a speaker booking agent to check availability on Ashley Christensen and other top speakers and celebrities.

BOOK Ashley Christensen
Speaking Topics

  • An activist on women's issues, Christensen has been outspoken about sexual harassment in the culinary world.

Videos
BOOK Ashley Christensen
Books
It's Always Freezer Season: How to Freeze Like a Chef with 100 Make-Ahead Recipes [A Cookbook]

It's Always Freezer Season: How to Freeze Like a Chef with 100 Make-Ahead Recipes [A Cookbook]

Poole's: Recipes and Stories from a Modern Diner [A Cookbook]

Poole's: Recipes and Stories from a Modern Diner [A Cookbook]

News
FAQs

  • HOW TO BOOK Ashley Christensen?

    Our booking agents have successfully helped clients around the world secure talent like Ashley Christensen for both live and virtual events for over 15 years. The team at All American Entertainment represents and listens to the needs of organizations and corporations seeking to hire keynote speakers, celebrities or entertainers for speaking engagements, personal appearances, product endorsements, or corporate entertainment. Fill out a booking request form for Ashley Christensen, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to discuss your upcoming event. One of our experienced agents will be happy to help you get pricing information and check availability for Ashley Christensen or any other celebrity of your choice.

  • HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO BOOK Ashley Christensen?

    Speaking fees for Ashley Christensen, or any other keynote speakers and celebrities, are determined based on a number of factors and may change without notice. The amount that Ashley Christensen charges to speak often varies according to the circumstances, including their schedule, market conditions, length of presentation, and the location of the event. The speaker fees listed on this website are intended to serve as a guideline only. In some cases, the actual quote may be above or below the stated range. For the most current fee to hire Ashley Christensen, please fill out the booking request form or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to speak with an experienced booking agent.

  • WHO IS THE AGENT FOR Ashley Christensen?

    All American Entertainment has successfully secured celebrity talent like Ashley Christensen for clients worldwide for more than 15 years. As a full-service talent booking agency, we have access to virtually any speaker or celebrity in the world. Our agents are happy and able to submit an offer to the speaker or celebrity of your choice, letting you benefit from our reputation and long-standing relationships in the industry. Fill out the booking request form or call our office at 1.800.698.2536, and one of our agents will assist you to book Ashley Christensen for your next private or corporate function.

  • WHAT IS A FULL-SERVICE TALENT BOOKING AGENCY?

    All American Speakers is a "buyers agent" and exclusively represents talent buyers, meeting planners and event professionals, who are looking to secure celebrities and speakers for personal appearances, speaking engagements, corporate entertainment, public relations campaigns, commercials, or endorsements. We do not exclusively represent Ashley Christensen or claim ourselves as the exclusive booking agency, business manager, publicist, speakers bureau or management for Ashley Christensen or any other speaker or celebrity on this website. For more information on how we work and what makes us unique, please read the AAE Advantage.
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Users also viewed these speakers:

This website is a resource for event professionals and strives to provide the most comprehensive catalog of thought leaders and industry experts to consider for speaking engagements. A listing or profile on this website does not imply an agency affiliation or endorsement by the talent.

All American Entertainment (AAE) exclusively represents the interests of talent buyers, and does not claim to be the agency or management for any speaker or artist on this site. AAE is a talent booking agency for paid events only. We do not handle requests for donation of time or media requests for interviews, and cannot provide celebrity contact information.

If you are the talent and wish to request a profile update or removal from our online directory, please submit a profile request form.

Ashley Christensen

James Beard Award-Winning Chef, Restaurateur & Cookbook Author

Travels From:
Raleigh, NC, USA
Speaking Fee:
Live Event: $20,000 - $30,000
Virtual Event: $10,000 - $20,000
More Fee Info
Categories:
Celebrity Chefs, Food, Virtual Speakers

Ashley Christensen Biography

Since making Raleigh her home, Ashley Christensen has sought to foster community through food, philanthropy and the stimulation of the city’s downtown neighborhood.

Christensen began cooking while in college, throwing dinner parties for her friends and family. These intimate gatherings helped her recognize her passion for cooking and sharing food, and ultimately led to her first professional cooking job at the age of 21. Upon taking the position, she knew she had found her life’s work.

After working in some of the Triangle’s top kitchens, Christensen opened Poole’s Diner in 2007, which takes its name and décor from the building’s original tenant—one of downtown Raleigh’s first restaurants. The shotgun space offers an evolving chalkboard menu of comfort-food classics, re-imagined through a philosophy of locally grown, seasonal ingredients and French-influenced technique.

In 2011, Christensen opened three new ventures, all housed in a corner building once occupied by a Piggly Wiggly. Beasley’s Chicken + Honey is an ode to fried chicken and classic Southern sides; Chuck’s offers burgers and frites with signature updates; and Fox Liquor Bar, housed in the building’s basement, features a menu of more than 50 craft cocktails, as well as beer, wine and bar snacks.

In the spring of 2015, AC Restaurants introduced Death & Taxes, a restaurant celebrating wood-fire cooking with Southern ingredients, and Bridge Club, a private events loft and cooking classroom. Death & Taxes was a 2016 James Beard Award finalist for Best New Restaurant, and Food & Wine listed it as one the Best New Restaurants of the Year. And most recently, in the fall of 2019, Poole’side Pies opened next door to Poole’s Diner, featuring Christensen’s take on Neapolitan-style pizza.

When she’s not in the kitchen, Christensen focuses her time on a number of local and regional charities. She has served as a board member of the Frankie Lemmon foundation and is a co-chair of its annual fundraising event, Triangle Wine Experience. She has also served on the board of Raleigh’s Contemporary Art Museum and the Downtown Raleigh Alliance. She is an active member of the Southern Foodways Alliance and founded the biannual event Stir the Pot, in which she hosts visiting chefs in Raleigh to raise funds for the SFA’s documentary initiatives.

Christensen’s work has gained national attention from such publications as Bon Appétit, Gourmet, The New York Times, Southern Living, Wall Street Journal, and Garden & Gun. She has appeared on Food Network’s popular series Iron Chef America and MSNBC’s Your Business.

In 2014, Christensen was awarded the James Beard Award for “Best Chef: Southeast,” and in 2019 she was awarded the James Beard Award in the “Outstanding Chef” category. Christensen was named Chef of the Year by Eater.com in 2017. 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.

Contact a speaker booking agent to check availability on Ashley Christensen and other top speakers and celebrities.

BOOK Ashley Christensen

Ashley Christensen Speaking Topics

  • An activist on women's issues, Christensen has been outspoken about sexual harassment in the culinary world.

Ashley Christensen Videos

  • Chef Ashley Christensen on winning the James Beard Award for ...
    Chef Ashley Christensen on winning the James Beard Award for ...
    Raleigh's Ashley Christensen sees the James Beard Award as an opportunity to push the field to be the best it can possibly be.
  • Ashley Christensen: Fostering Community Through Food - YouTube
    Ashley Christensen: Fostering Community Through Food - YouTube
  • Chef Ashley Christensen Pooles Diner Raleigh - YouTube
    Chef Ashley Christensen Pooles Diner Raleigh - YouTube
See All Videos »

Ashley Christensen Books

It's Always Freezer Season: How to Freeze Like a Chef with 100 Make-Ahead Recipes [A Cookbook]
It's Always Freezer Season: How to Freeze Like a Chef with 100 Make-Ahead Recipes [A Cookbook]
Poole's: Recipes and Stories from a Modern Diner [A Cookbook]
Poole's: Recipes and Stories from a Modern Diner [A Cookbook]

Speaker Lists Featuring Ashley Christensen

Bestselling Cookbooks By Celebrity Chefs & Lifestyle Experts

Bestselling Cookbook Authors

From Michelin-starred chefs to gastronomic adventurers pushing the boundaries of flavor, the bestselling authors in this list share their passion, creativity, and love for cooking in their books. As award-winning chefs,...

James Beard Award-Winning Chefs

James Beard Award Winners

Known as the “Oscars” of the food world, the James Beard Foundation has been recognizing exceptional talent and achievement in the culinary arts, hospitality, and media since 1990. The food and lifestyle professionals...

Browse All Keynote Speaker Lists »

FAQs on booking Ashley Christensen

  • How to book Ashley Christensen?

    Our booking agents have successfully helped clients around the world secure talent like Ashley Christensen for both live and virtual events for over 20 years. The team at All American Entertainment represents and listens to the needs of organizations and corporations seeking to hire keynote speakers, celebrities or entertainers for speaking engagements, personal appearances, product endorsements, or corporate entertainment. Fill out a booking request form for Ashley Christensen, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to discuss your upcoming event. One of our experienced agents will be happy to help you get pricing information and check availability for Ashley Christensen or any other celebrity of your choice.

  • How much does it cost to book Ashley Christensen?

    Speaking fees for Ashley Christensen, or any other keynote speakers and celebrities, are determined based on a number of factors and may change without notice. The amount that Ashley Christensen charges to speak often varies according to the circumstances, including their schedule, market conditions, length of presentation, and the location of the event. The speaker fees listed on this website are intended to serve as a guideline only. In some cases, the actual quote may be above or below the stated range. For the most current fee to hire Ashley Christensen, please fill out the booking request form or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to speak with an experienced booking agent.

  • Who is the agent for Ashley Christensen?

    All American Entertainment has successfully secured celebrity talent like Ashley Christensen for clients worldwide for more than 20 years. As a full-service talent booking agency, we have access to virtually any speaker or celebrity in the world. Our agents are happy and able to submit an offer to the speaker or celebrity of your choice, letting you benefit from our reputation and long-standing relationships in the industry. Fill out the booking request form or call our office at 1.800.698.2536, and one of our agents will assist you to book Ashley Christensen for your next private or corporate function.

  • What is a full-service talent booking agency?

    All American Speakers is a "buyers agent" and exclusively represents talent buyers, meeting planners and event professionals, who are looking to secure celebrities and speakers for personal appearances, speaking engagements, corporate entertainment, public relations campaigns, commercials, or endorsements. We do not exclusively represent Ashley Christensen or claim ourselves as the exclusive booking agency, business manager, publicist, speakers bureau or management for Ashley Christensen or any other speaker or celebrity on this website. For more information on how we work and what makes us unique, please read the AAE Advantage.

Ashley Christensen is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics such as. The estimated speaking fee range to book Ashley Christensen for your event is $20,000 - $30,000. Ashley Christensen generally travels from Raleigh, NC, USA and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. Similar motivational celebrity speakers are Art Smith, Jose Garces, Michael Solomonov, Vivian Howard and Michael Schwartz. Contact All American Speakers for ratings, reviews, videos and information on scheduling Ashley Christensen for an upcoming live or virtual event.

BOOK Ashley Christensen

Ashley Christensen Speaking Topics

  • An activist on women's issues, Christensen has been outspoken about sexual harassment in the culinary world.

Ashley Christensen Speaker Videos

  • Chef Ashley Christensen on winning the James Beard Award for ...
    Chef Ashley Christensen on winning the James Beard Award for ...
    Raleigh's Ashley Christensen sees the James Beard Award as an opportunity to push the field to be the best it can possibly be.
    Ashley Christensen: Fostering Community Through Food - YouTube
    Ashley Christensen: Fostering Community Through Food - YouTube
  • Chef Ashley Christensen Pooles Diner Raleigh - YouTube
    Chef Ashley Christensen Pooles Diner Raleigh - YouTube
BOOK Ashley Christensen

Ashley Christensen News

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Speakers Similar to Ashley Christensen

This website is a resource for event professionals and strives to provide the most comprehensive catalog of thought leaders and industry experts to consider for speaking engagements. A listing or profile on this website does not imply an agency affiliation or endorsement by the talent.

All American Entertainment (AAE) exclusively represents the interests of talent buyers, and does not claim to be the agency or management for any speaker or artist on this site. AAE is a talent booking agency for paid events only. We do not handle requests for donation of time or media requests for interviews, and cannot provide celebrity contact information.

If you are the talent and wish to request a profile update or removal from our online directory, please submit a profile request form.

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