At the table, one never grows old

Food and music are the most transparent windows into other cultures — an invitation to understand the world we live in just a little bit more.

While traveling alone through India in my mid-twenties, I was given a quote — Rooted in being while lost in the world. This sentence became a lighthouse for me, and food was often the source of the contentment I craved in feeling rooted, grounded and centered in my mind and body.

As a professional chef, I believe in the power of food to not only heal our minds and bodies, but to also unite us in unbridled joy — and this is why I created ROOTED. 

There is a rustic elegance to eating food that is made by hand and shared with ease. I tend to avoid culinary shortcuts — this means I make everything in the style it was intended and with seasonal ingredients that honor the landscape. 

For the past twenty years, I have been offering my craft as an in-house private chef as well as a traveling chef for events or retreats abroad. I also offer cooking classes, meal drop-offs and creative menu consulting.

I passionately provide experiences for people at the table — because, after all, the table is where we tell our best stories, and speak our truths while sharing nourishment with the ones we love.

One of my mentors, Peggy Markel, always says this at the beginning of every meal, and I leave this with you now — A Tavola non si invecchia mai — At the table, one never grows old.

I look forward to meeting you and to feeding you in the future.

Chef Ashley