Hi, I’m Ashley!

From a young age, food took center stage at birthdays and holidays. Many of my memories are rooted with a meal. Images of long tables, lined with folded napkins, candles, and glassware come to mind. Special trips to the party supply store to gather color-coordinated paper plates, balloons, and crepe paper to twist and string from the ceilings were always an added bonus. Pizza boxes, confetti, and ice cream cakes piped with buttercream rosettes and sage leaves adorned the lovingly set tables. Toasts were made by both the young and old, all in the celebration of love and togetherness; the table was the backdrop of it all.

My passion for bringing people around the table has been the driving force behind my culinary journey. After spending 10 years as a preschool teacher, I made a life-changing decision to pursue my love for food by enrolling at the Natural Gourmet Institute in the heart of New York City. There, I refined my skills, learning the principles of cooking for wellness alongside classic culinary techniques.

Since then, I have worked in many areas of the food industry, from pastry chef to sous chef, catering to restaurant management, food styling to recipe development, culinary instruction to event production. Each role has allowed me to explore the art of food in unique and meaningful ways.

I’ve had the pleasure of collaborating with esteemed publications and companies such as The New York Times, PureWow, Food52, Lucky Peach Magazine, Francesco Tonelli Photography, Amy Chaplin, De Gustibus Cooking School, Della Terra Catering, The James Beard Awards, Anthropologie, BDP Holdings, and Montclair Jazz Fest. My culinary work continues to evolve, always with the goal of creating unforgettable experiences around the table.

Growing up in New Jersey, with direct access to NYC, influenced my culinary perspective. While living in NJ and being so close to farms has been a huge source of inspiration.  New Jersey’s rich agricultural scene has given me access to the best ingredients, shaping my culinary viewpoint of creating upscale comfort food. 

I craft menus with my clients’ vision in mind with seasonal ingredients as the focal point. I pride myself on being able to create dishes that reflect their personality, backgrounds and occasion. To plan, I love asking about a favorite meal, a “must have'' or a beloved family recipe. My hope is to elicit a dear memory or help create new experiences they can look back on with joy as they come A Tavola.