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The Eclectic Playlist That Inspires This Chef to Mix It Up

Here’s what Eater Young Gun Ashleigh Shanti (‘19) listens to at Benne on Eagle in Asheville

Eater
Ellie Krupnick is executive director of editorial operations for Vox Media's lifestyle brands, and focuses on keeping Eater running smoothly. She previously edited Eater's shopping content, as well as lifestyle content on Racked, Mic, and HuffPost.

The layers of the American South, the history and resources of West African cultures — Ashleigh Shanti’s cooking pulls from many threads. As the head chef at Benne on Eagle in Asheville, North Carolina, the 2019 Eater Young Gun has created a menu that draws on West African dishes (and their evolutions throughout the African diaspora), African-American food traditions of Appalachia, and the historically black-owned restaurants of Asheville.

Her approach is “rich with spices, memory, and a remix of tradition” — which is why it’s only appropriate that her go-to playlists are also true mixes, with artists of various genres all together in a “shuffle,” as she puts it.

Ashleigh Shanti’s Playlist

To open the playlist in a new window, click here.