Ashleigh Shanti | Tim Robison

She’s starting her own restaurant group

Chef de cuisine of Asheville’s Benne on Eagle, Ashleigh Shanti, has left the restaurant to pursue her own dining establishments. A press release came in on Friday to announce that Malcolm McMillian is the new chef de cuisine, and the Asheville Citizen Times confirmed that Shanti had stepped down to create a restaurant group based in Asheville. She tells the Times that she wants to create a company that will empower workers in the food and beverage business.

While at Benne on Eagle, Shanti was nominated as James Beard Award for Rising Star Chef and was named an Eater 2019 Young Gun. In a profile of Shanti, Eater contributor Osayi Endolyn writes, “Since beginning at Benne on Eagle last fall, Shanti’s menu, rich with spices, memory, and a remix of tradition, has attracted regular diners and popular industry figures alike,