First Friday Female Founder Feature: Ashley Christensen
This month’s First Friday Female Founder post features Ashley Christensen, a world-renowned chef who’s never lost the small-town girl heart and energy that I recall from us growing up in Kernersville, NC. I’ll never forget the first time I encountered Ashley at East Forsyth High School... It was in between classes, while I was settling into my desk and Ashley was chatting with a group of friends in the doorway. Suddenly, she jumped up, flailed her arms out and shouted, at which point I was left to figure out what on Earth was happening. Yet, it was simply Ashley being Ashley, a fun-loving individual who cares deeply about others and brings her full-throttle energy to making the world a better place. For Ashley, her mission is not limited to creating jobs, but it's also about taking well-calculated risks to bolster our region. She strives to continually evolve, strongly believing that change is evolution and not failure, and her focus on continual improvement is contagious, fueling an effort to lift those on her team to become their best selves alongside her. Enjoy this peek inside the mind and heart of this absolute rock star!
Photo credit: Johnny Autry
Ashley Christensen began cooking while in college, throwing dinner parties for her friends and family. These intimate gatherings helped her recognize a passion for cooking, sharing food and fostering community through those meals.
After working in some of the Triangle’s top kitchens, Ashley opened Poole’s Diner in 2007. In 2011, Ashley added Beasley’s Chicken + Honey as well as Fox Liquor Bar, both housed in a corner building once occupied by a Piggly Wiggly. In the spring of 2015, AC Restaurants introduced Death & Taxes, celebrating wood-fire cooking with Southern ingredients, and Bridge Club, a private events loft and cooking classroom. Then, in the fall of 2019, Poole’side Pies opened next door to Poole’s Diner, featuring Ashley’s take on Neapolitan-style pizza.
Ashley’s work has been featured in Bon Appétit, Gourmet, The New York Times, Southern Living, Wall Street Journal as well as Garden & Gun. She has appeared on Food Network’s Iron Chef America and MSNBC’s Your Business. In 2014, Ashley was awarded the James Beard Award for “Best Chef: Southeast,” and, in 2019, she won the James Beard Award in the “Outstanding Chef” category. Ashley was named Chef of the Year by Eater.com in 2017. And, most recently, Ashley was amongst the 2021 inductees into the North Carolina Women Business Owners Hall of Fame. Plus, she is the author of two cookbooks, Poole’s: Recipes and Stories from a Modern Diner and It’s Always Freezer Season: How to Freeze Like a Chef with 100 Make-Ahead Recipes.
When not in the kitchen, Ashley passionately focuses her time on several local and regional charities, and her huge heart is why she was named the 2017 Tar Heel of the Year by Raleigh’s News & Observer. 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. She has also served on the board of Raleigh’s Contemporary Art Museum and the Downtown Raleigh Alliance. She is an active member of the Southern Foodways Alliance and founded the biannual event Stir the Pot, in which she hosts visiting chefs in Raleigh to raise funds for the SFA’s documentary initiatives.
First Friday Female Founder Feature:
Ashley Christensen
How would you describe your company and the products / services you offer?
AC Restaurants houses four full-service restaurants (Poole’s Diner, Beasley’s Chicken + Honey, Death & Taxes and Poole’side Pies), a bar (Fox Liquor Bar) and a private events space (Bridge Club). We also operate a catering company (AC Events) and a commissary kitchen (AUX Kitchen), which serves as our HQ.
Why did you start your company?
I opened our first restaurant, Poole’s Diner, on December 13th, 2007. I woke up one day and just knew the time was right. I wanted to share my craft with my community and to inspire folks to take a chance on their dreams as well. I also wanted to start investing my energy into my future and the future of my family. I’ve never looked back.
What has been the most rewarding part of your journey in founding this company?
There has been a shift in how people address what they really want for themselves in their day-to-day and, thus, in life. I love that. I think, in our industry, there was a previous model of “the ladder”. It represents that the only symbol of true success is upward, as in being promoted to management or becoming an owner. That model leaves a huge part of the industry unconsidered. It has been my focus to think more deeply about forward over up. Creating a work environment where people feel positively challenged and like they have room for growth in what they love to do is something I find tremendously rewarding.
About what are you most proud?
Being an employer and witnessing folks finding and honing their passions.
Are you naturally organized, was it a skill you learned or is it something with which you regularly struggle, and what tips or tools do you use to stay your most organized?
I am, and I feel stressed when things aren’t in order. I think of keeping my environment organized as a form of self-care, and it also really helps with being able to start each day anew.
Who’s the one person who changed your life and why?
Eliza Kraft Olander. I met her when I was just stepping up as a chef. She was a regular patron at Enoteca Vin, and we quickly became great friends. She got me involved in community work and taught me so much about what the value of my time and energy could mean. Our friendship has only grown (as has our joint community work)… She is one of my very best friends in the world.
What words of wisdom would you have for someone who is overwhelmed with staying organized and / or productive?
Breathe. Make lists (If you’re too busy to make a list, you really need a list). Celebrate “you time” at the beginning and end of your day… For me, it’s very important to bookend the productive portion of the day that way. I also really love to grab one organizational task at a time. Organizational tasks can be daunting, but breaking them off one at a time is super manageable and really fulfilling.
Do you use technology to help stay productive or organized? If so, what’s your favorite program, app or tech tool? Our company utilizes Basecamp 3 for companywide communication, and that really helps us to keep our communication organized and documented. And, as simple as this sounds, I use the Keeper app for securely storing my ever-growing list of passwords
How do you feel about work / life efficiency or integration in your life, including any tips or challenges for managing the personal and professional commitments in your life?
I think this is a unique question for me as my work is based on what I love most in life… sharing hospitality. That said, the best advice is hire great people and celebrate them. My role has changed so much over the years, and I make a point to ask myself what it takes to make sure I’m still doing the thing I love every day. It’s also just really cool to know that there are so many things that my team does better than I do! It took maturing a bit to be comfortable with that, and, now, I think of it as essential to my mental health, my work/life balance and the strength of our company.
About what causes are you most passionate?
- Shepherd’s Table Soup Kitchen
- Any cause focused on ending food insecurity
- Opportunities to use my voice in the fight for equality
What have you found to be the most effective way to relax after a long day or super long week?
My wife and I have been working on our sitting porch. We refer to it as “cute porch” to differentiate it from our other porch (which I sort of turned into an outdoor test kitchen and forgot to ask permission to do so), and it is quite cute. On nice days, we start our day with coffee out there, and it’s a wonderful place to wind down with a glass of wine while listening to music at the end of the day. Our dogs love it, too.
What is your favorite author / book?
It’s actually a book of poems… Dear Darkness by Kevin Young.
What is your favorite inspirational quote?
“Seize the day!”... and I always imagine it in Robin Williams’ voice from Dead Poets Society.
What is your go-to accessory?
A scarf I bought in London at an open-air market about 16 years ago.
What are the fundamentals of your beauty routine?
I’m fairly undisciplined in regularity of routine. I love products, and I tend to be drawn to whatever is new and exciting in that world, which can throw my regiment off track. Where I am disciplined is in using good sunscreen daily (I use EltaMD). I also love restorative face masks.
What is your favorite food?
I’m really quite terrible at selecting “favorites”. That said, it changes. Among my favorites… heirloom tomatoes, field peas and simple roasted chicken.
Of the locally-owned and -operated establishments in the place you currently live, which are your favorites and why?
- Boulted Bread… They mill their own grains, they make the most wonderful bread, and they are just the most wonderful, kind and talented humans.
- ISH Delicatessen… It is finally open! One of my best friends owns it, and his pastrami is knock-your-socks-off delicious. He’s a level 2 sommelier as well so the wine list is super fun.
What is your favorite place that you have visited?
I love to travel, and I would have to say Tokyo. The hospitality is incredible, even at the 7 Eleven or in a taxi cab. I felt so inspired by how much thoughtfulness goes into every exchange and transaction. And the food is so great.
What movie could you watch on endless loop?
Big Night tied with This is Forty
If you could have one superpower, what would it be?
The ability to sleep seven hours solid or, if that’s off the table, flight (just for the sake of getting to see friends and family faster).
What advice would you give your 21-year-old self?
It doesn’t get easier, but it does get better.
If you could have lunch with anyone (living or deceased), who would it be and why?
This one is easy… My dad. He passed away in the first 15 minutes of this year, and I have missed him every single day since. So much of my love for and appreciation of food and hospitality came from him. What I wouldn’t give to share a meal with him. He lived at the tip of the North Fork of Long Island, and we would meet in NYC at Balthazar and share steak frites and east coast oysters.
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