Wilmington still GLOW-ing: Female chefs connect with students despite postponed fundraiser

GLOW NC has a way of bringing culinary talent (like Emeril Lagasse and Giada DeLaurentiis) to the Wilmington area in its efforts to raise money for the Girls Leadership Academy of Wilmington.

So while its next annual food-focused fundraiser, scheduled for this weekend, was postponed, the school still found a way to keep the connection.

As the ongoing pandemic meant postponing the event until April 29, two of the female chefs who were a part of the original woman-powered lineup arrived in Wilmington on Thursday to advocate for GLOW and talk with the school's culinary students.

GLOW is North Carolina's only single gender public charter school and focuses on students from predominately underserved communities in grades 6 through 12. Much of the curriculum is based on college-bound studies and they are currently accepting students for the next term.

Raleigh-based chef Ashley Christensen was a part of the sixth annual fundraising event last year. (She joined television host and author Robert Irvine.) Organizers announced then that Christensen would be the focus of the 2022 event – and she in turn said this female focus was a part of her vision.

Background: Chef Robert Irvine on Wilmington, restaurants and his new TV show

More: Omicron and Wilmington restaurants: What to know about the latest COVID spike when dining out

Devin Finigan was one of those asked to participate. She can't make the April event, but she did travel from Maine where she and husband, Luke Hartmann, operate Aragosta at Goose Cove, a 70-seat restaurant with 11 cottages. (Her work earned her recognition as James Beard semifinalist for Best Chef Northeast in 2020.)

Ana Shellem, of the locally based Shellem Seafood Co., was also a part of a panel that answered questions and talked about their careers.

"They've been researching these chefs for two days," said chef Gwen Gulliksen, a culinary instructor at the school.

The students asked about dishes the chefs are preparing, how you decide to become a chef or a fisherman, and working with difficult ingredients.

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Christensen will be back in April for the rescheduled fundraiser. Here's a look at some of the chefs who will be joining her for that event.

Ashley Christensen

Her AC Restaurants group operates businesses like Poole's Diner, Death & Taxes, and Beasley's Chicken & Honey in Raleigh. Her work has also made her a James Beard winner in 2014 for Best Chef Southeast division and in 2019 as Most Outstanding Chef. She has served as a board member of the Frankie Lemmon foundation and is a co-chair of its annual fundraising event, Triangle Wine Experience. Her cookbooks Poole’s: Recipes and Stories from a Modern Diner was published in 2016.

Cheetie Kumar

The chef at Garland in Raleigh is also rock guitarist. In addition to performing, she is also a self-taught cook. Growing up in India, she learned to cook from her mother and grandmother before the family settled in New York. Now in North Carolina, her restaurant features the flavors of India and Asia, but reinvented with a Southern flair. She also still records studio albums and performs with her band Birds of Avalon. She's been a finalist for James Beard Best Chef Southeast a few times, most recently in 2019, and has appeared in publications and shows like Vivian Howard’s "Somewhere South."

Sarah Grueneberg

This Texas native became a part of the award-winning team at Spiaggia in Chicago in 2005, eventually moving up the ranks to become the executive chef in 2010. During her tenure, the restaurant was awarded one Michelin Star for three consecutive years. She's now the chef/partner at Monteverde Restaurant & Pastificio in Chicago. She's also earned awards and raves from the James Beard Foundation, Eater, Food & Wine, and Bon Appetit. You might have also seen her on Bravo’s “Top Chef: Texas,” Food Network’s “Iron Chef Gauntlet," or her own PBS Chicago show, “Dishalicious."

Allison Ballard is the food and dining reporter at the StarNews. You can reach her at aballard@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Award winning women chefs are coming to Wilmington for GLOW fundraiser