“Finally, a little black girl or boy can dream of winning the title of Outstanding Chef [la plus haute distinction pour la gastronomie aux États-Unis, décernée chaque année par la Fondation James Beard]” : it is in these terms that Mashama Bailey expressed his pride in winning, on June 13, this prize considered as the “Oscar of cooking”.
At the head of the restaurant The Grey, in Savannah (Georgia), since 2014, she had already won in 2019 the prize for the best chef for the southeastern United States. She then appeared in the documentary series Chef’s Table on Netflix, recalls the Financial Times, before opening two other restaurants: the Grey Market, still in Savannah, and the Diner Bar, in Austin, Texas.
So what is Bailey’s recipe for success? As one of his collaborators observes, “the most amazing thing about Mashama’s kitchen is that looking at how it presents itself, everyone thinks they are capable of doing the same. And then we eat and there we are in mode ‘Wait, but what did you put in there?’ A whole life: this is what she puts in her kitchen.”
Revenge on history
Born in the Bronx [à New York] In 1974 Mashama Bailey grew up in Savannah as part of a large family, before moving back to Queens at the age of 10. After high school, she
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