06/18/2025
Amazing news!! Well deserved.
🎉 Big News: Asheville’s Own Chef Ashleigh Shanti Wins 2025 James Beard Award!
We’re thrilled to celebrate Chef Ashleigh Shanti, owner of Good Hot Fish, who just brought home a James Beard Media Award in the U.S. Foodways category for her debut cookbook, Our South: Black Food Through My Lens.
The book explores Shanti’s culinary roots through five regional chapters- Backcountry, Lowcountry, Midlands, Lowlands, and Homeland, each representing a piece of her story, heritage, and journey as a chef.
📍 Based right here in Asheville, Good Hot Fish blends the nostalgic spirit of traditional fish camps with Black Appalachian and Southern influences, earning national attention for its bold, soulful flavors.
👏 Let’s show our love for Chef Shanti:
• Stop by Good Hot Fish (10 Buxton Ave) and taste what all the buzz is about.
• Pick up a copy of Our South and dive into the stories, recipes, and history behind this award-winning work.
