Ashley Christensen cares as much about people as she does about food. The Raleigh-based chef and restaurateur started cooking when she was in college and now runs an empire of restaurants in the Triangle in North Carolina including Poole’s Diner which she opened over a decade ago. She employs over 200 people and is known for not being afraid to speak up. Ashley’s cooking, restaurants, and cookbook have been celebrated by outlets like Food & Wine, Bon Appetit, The New York Times, and Eater and she’s the recipient of a James Beard Award.

She sat down with Julia to talk about her career, her restaurants, her leadership and communication style, her commitment to community, and her support system.

There are are also answers to listeners' questions and a shout out to the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle.

For more about Julia Turshen and her work, head here.