Mashama Bailey

Mashama Bailey, chef of The Grey in Savannah, is one of the clearest contemporary interpreters of the Lowcountry tradition. Her James Beard Outstanding Chef award (2022) is less important than the way her menus argue that this food is already fine dining, and always has been.

Her memoir/cookbook Black, White, and The Grey, co-written with Johno Morisano, is also a template for how to talk honestly about race inside a restaurant partnership.