Ashleigh Shanti is an Asheville, North Carolina-based chef offering a unique culinary voice rooted in Black foodways

Ashleigh grew up in coastal Virginia, spending summers in Virginia’s Appalachian region. After earning her degree in Marketing at Hampton University, she studied Culinary Arts at Baltimore International College, honing her skills at a variety of restaurants.

She served as the culinary assistant for Chef Vivian Howard in Kinston, NC. In 2019, Shanti was named one of "16 Black Chefs Changing Food in America" by The New York Times and one of Eater’s “Young Guns” the same year. In 2020, Ashleigh was a finalist for the James Beard “Rising Star Chef of the Year” award during her tenure as Chef de Cuisine at Benne on Eagle, which was included in Bon Appetit’s and Thrillist's 2020 Best New Restaurants lists. In 2022, Ashleigh competed in Top Chef: Houston.

Ashleigh is Chef and Owner of Good Hot Fish, a counter service fish fry restaurant in Asheville, NC.