Ashley James
Ashley’s love for cooking started in the kitchen with her Grandma & Grandpa in North Wales, Pa. From a young age, she showed interest in cooking and exploring new flavors. From cooking a full Christmas dinner at 14 to hosting dinner parties in high school, Ashley was destined to become a curator of experiences.
After graduating from Loyola University Chicago, Ashley began training at the famous Japanese restaurant Morimoto in Philadelphia; then with Robert Aikens at the Dandelion, in Philadelphia, a Farm to Table gastro pub. From there, she hopped across the pond to pursue her love for cooking and travel to work for a year in London as a young chef, at a Michelin Starred restaurant, Tom Aikens. Following her time in London, she returned to the States where she worked as The Head Chef at a farm restaurant in Connecticut and New York’s iconic Rainbow Room as a Sous chef again under Robert Aikens’ tutelage.
In May 2016, she returned to London to establish a restaurant of her own, and with the help of her business partner, Stagolees, was born. A Southern Fried Chicken and Liquor Joint, Stagolees, the soul food restaurant of West London, known for its epic brunch and delicious cocktails, was only the start of her solo Chef adventure.
As a Michelin trained Chef, she realized that in order to give a customer the best overall experience, you have to know all aspects of how to create, execute and deliver your product or experience. She has spent the last 15 years doing just that. Now an International Luxury Hospitality Specialist, Ashley consults with high-end Restaurants & Members Club, helps clients create and bring quality food and beverage products to the market & cooks intimate meals for private clients. In addition, she founded Classically Black & Co-founded J&H Estates, a premiere wine label.
As the Founder & Director of Classically Black, she strives to bring our guests one of a kind experiences that showcase the talents of Black Chefs, Visual Artists, Singers & Musicians. These experiences not only support the arts, but black owned luxury businesses to help make her vision for each event come true.