Chef Ashè

Where It All Began

Before Paris, before the diploma, there was Philadelphia.

It was in Philly that Ashè first stepped into the plant-based culinary world — not alone, but surrounded by a community that saw something in her before she fully saw it in herself. Friends, neighbours and fellow chefs encouraged her, challenged her, and helped shape the woman she was becoming. She carries that community with her in everything she makes.

At the heart of that chapter is her mentor, Atiya Ola, who opened the doors of her kitchen and gave Ashè the room to grow. It was there that Ashè learned that living foods are about more than ingredients — they are about intention, care, and the people you feed. That kitchen gave her a foundation, and Ashè has never stopped being grateful for it.

Deepening the Craft

What began in Philly grew into a lifelong study.

Ashè went on to become certified in Sunfired Living Foods Science under Dr. Aris LaTham, a pioneer of the raw living foods movement — and it was there that her love for living foods grew deeper still, from a practice into a philosophy.

She paired that with the science of nourishment, earning her certification as a nutritionist and holistic consultant through Dr. Llaila Afrika’s programme, and studied West African herbal science and medicine with Tariq Sawandi. Together, these traditions shape the way she prepares food: dishes that heal, honour heritage, and restore energy from the inside out.

The Training Behind the Table

A range that moves easily between a multi-course dinner and an everyday plate.

Ashè refined her craft at Le Cordon Bleu Paris, earning her Plant-Based Gastronomy Diploma in 2024. Her culinary path spans fine dining, raw and living foods, and holistic wellness — a range that lets her move easily between an elegant multi-course dinner and a nourishing, energy-giving everyday plate.

Originally from Los Angeles and now based in Paris, Ashè also brings a former career in fashion to her work, which shows up in the way she plates: thoughtfully, beautifully, and always with the person in mind.

She is the author of Superfood Energy and A Black Chef’s Roadmap to Studying in Paris. And the learning never stops — her next chapter takes her to Italy, where she is training in the art of gelato at the Academy of Gelato, bringing that same living-foods heart to one of the world’s most beloved desserts.

A Student for Life

If you ask Ashè what fuels her, she’ll point to her love of knowledge.

She is a lifelong reader, always with a book open and a new idea taking root. Right now that means Reality Transurfing by Vadim Zeland and Ashes to Assets by Eva Maria Fullmann — the kind of reading that shapes not just how she thinks, but how she shows up in the kitchen and in the world.