Emily Casey

Emily Casey developed a love of cooking at an early age, baking her way though Betty Crocker at the age of 10 and subjecting her friends to homemade sushi as a teenager. She was lucky enough to grow up in a town in Southwestern Virginia that has enjoyed a daily farmer's market continuously since 1882, and to have parents who are excellent home cooks. The bounty of the Blue Ridge brought to her family's table much trout, venison, local game birds, and farm-fresh local vegetables like pole beans and sweet potatoes.

Emily has also been fortunate enough to travel around the world, expanding her palate on the exotic cuisines of such far-flung locales as Indonesia, China, and the Middle East. She has lived all over the country, but especially harbors a soft spot for the American South. Her husband's family resides on the Gulf Coast of Alabama, where the array and freshness of local seafood is simply outstanding.

When she found herself visiting the shrimp boats and farmers' markets of New Orleans in order to avoid her graduate work at Tulane University, Emily realized perhaps it was time for a career change. She graduated from the Natural Gourmet Institute in New York City in 2005, returning briefly to Chapel Hill, North Carolina, to cook at the historic Carolina Inn. Emily returned to the kitchens of NYC in 2006, cooking at such restaurants as Tabla, Irving Mill, and the New French. She is currently employed as a private chef, and is looking forward to opening her own restaurant sometime in the near future.