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File:Katie Button.jpg
Chef Katie Button in Cúrate. Photo by Evan Sung

Katie Button is an American chef and co-owner of two restaurants, Cúrate Tapas Bar and Nightbell in Asheville, North Carolina. Katie Button is also the author of the cookbook, "Cúrate: Authentic Spanish Food from an American Kitchen".

Early Life

Katie Button was born in Conway, South Carolina, and moved with her family to New Jersey as a young girl.[1] She grew up returning to the south often to visit her grandparents. In New Jersey, Katie’s mom Liz Button, owned and operated a very successful catering business. This served as her first exposure to the food and beverage industry. [2]

Katie earned a bachelor’s degree in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering from Cornell University.[3] Unsure of what she wanted to do with her degree, Katie continued her studies, securing a master’s degree at École Centrale in Paris. Katie was then offered a prestigious placement in a neuroscience doctoral program with the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland and the Karolinska Institutet - one of only three available positions.[4] She relocated to Washington, DC to begin the program. Katie spent the summer before her doctoral program was to begin working with Habitat for Humanity in Zambia and traveling. Upon her return from Zambia, Katie reflected on the things in life that made her happy, and came to the realization that food was almost always a centerpiece of those happy times.[5] She notified the doctoral program that she would not be moving forward.[4]

Professional Career

Katie began her journey in the restaurant industry, signing on as a server, signing on as a server at the restaurant of personal mentor, Chef José Andrés, Café Atlántico/minibar.[5] Although she did not have a defined vision of what she wanted to do, she had an undeniable passion for food and the restaurant industry and the pieces started to fall into place.[3] To gain experience, she began volunteering in prep kitchens on her days off.[6] It was at Café Atlántico/minibar where Katie met and began dating Félix Meana. At the time, Félix was a Front of House Manager at elBulli, and was was spending the summer as a consultant at Café Atlántico. He suggested that she apply at ElBulli so they could stay together as he was scheduled to return to Roses, Catalunya in the fall. Katie secured a letter of recommendation from Chef José Andrés, applied as a server, and was accepted into elBulli's 2008 season.[4]

In 2008, Katie left Washington, DC for Spain, for her first stint at elBulli - the world-renowned restaurant of Chef Ferran Adrià - starting as a the first-ever American server[7]. It was during this time that she realized her desire to be in the kitchen. To gain experience, she went to New York City at the end of the season, and landed job as a pastry intern at Jean Georges, her first professional cooking experience. Next, Katie moved to LA, to again work with Chef José Andrés at his restaurant The Bazaar by José Andrés.[3]

In the summer of 2009, Katie made her return to elBulli, this time with a year of experience under her belt, and secured a 7-month stage at the pastry station.[3] The season that Katie spent at elBulli is well-documented in Lisa Abend's book, "The Sorcerer's Apprentices: A Season in the Kitchen at Ferran Adrià's elBulli".

The idea to open a tapas restaurant in Asheville, North Carolina evolved from a plan to help her parents open a restaurant somewhere up and down the East coast. Knowing that they wanted to be in a smaller town, somewhere in the southern US, they decided on Asheville, North Carolina, not far from her roots in South Carolina.[8]

As the restaurant concept for Cúrate materialized as a Spanish tapas, it was clear that Katie would be leading the kitchen. In 2010, she and Félix moved to Asheville, along with her family, to launch Heirloom Hospitality Group. In 2011, they opened Cúrate to much acclaim - including mentions in The Wall Street Journal and New York Times, as well as local and regional publications. Since it originally opened, Cúrate has expanded into the space next door, adding a jamoneria and vermutería serving vermouth, sherry and cider on tap to the experience.[9] In 2018, Cúrate was named by Food & Wine as one of the 40 Most Important Restaurants of the Past 40 Years.[10]

In 2014, Katie Button and Heirloom Hospitality Group opened a second restaurant, Nightbell, around the corner from Cúrate. Nightbell, earning acclaim for its season Appalachian-inspired small plates and robust cocktail program.[6]

Building on the success of Cúrate, Katie published her first cookbook in 2016. Cúrate: Authentic Spanish Food from an American Kitchen contains forewords by mentors José Andrés and Ferran Adrià. Ferran Adria writes, “Stroll through our rich Spanish cuisine, adapted by a cook who has managed to capture its essence and make it hers, and who, with Félix Meana, has created a perfect combination that rarely occurs in the world of hospitality.”[11] José Andrés writes, "As a Spanish chef in America, I am so jealous of this book. Nobody embraces Spain in the heart of America with more poetry, passion, and perfection than Katie."[11]

Throughout her career, Katie has made a number of television appearances, including as the host of National Geographic's series The World's Best Chefs, as a guest star on FYI Network's Scraps, and a guest chef on CBS This Morning Saturday's The Dish.[12][13][14]

Personal Life

Katie Button met Félix Meana while working for José Andrés in Washington, DC where he was the front of the house manager at the time - the elBulli off-season. They were dating within a month. Félix was instrumental in determining her path to elBulli, and consequently a new direction for her life, as the restaurant was located in his hometown of Roses, Spain.[4] Félix and Katie were engaged in 2009 during her time in the elBulli pastry kitchen. They are now married and have two children.[11][15]

Awards & Accolades

  • 2018 Invitation to cook at James Beard House[16]
  • 2018 James Beard Award Nominee: Best Chef Southeast[16]
  • 2017 Beard on Books speaker about her debut cookbook, Curate: Authentic Spanish Food from an American Kitchen[16]
  • 2016 attended James Beard Foundation program Chefs Boot Camp for Policy and Change[16]
  • 2015 James Beard Award Semifinalist: Best Chef Southeast
  • 2015 Food & Wine Best New Chefs
  • 2014 James Beard Award Nominee: Rising Star Chef of the Year[16]
  • 2013 James Beard Award Semifinalist: Rising Star Chef of the Year[16]
  • 2012 Invitation to cook at James Beard House[16]
  • 2012 James Beard Award Semifinalist: Rising Star Chef of the Year[16]
  • 2013 Robb Reports Next Culinary Masters Competition[17]
  • 2013 WCR Golden Whisk Award (CITE)
  • 2013 Star Chefs Carolinas Rising Stars[3]

Category:American restaurateurs Category:Chefs Category:Asheville, North Carolina Category:Cookbook writers


  1. ^ https://blueridgecountry.com/departments/flavors/chefs-of-the-mountains%3A-course-2/
  2. ^ Trip, Culture. "An Interview With Asheville's Chef Katie Button". Culture Trip. Retrieved 2018-06-20.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Katie Button of Cúrate - Biography". Star Chefs. August 2014. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  4. ^ a b c d Abend, Lisa (2011). The Sorcerer's Apprentices: A Season in teh Kitchen at Ferran Adria's elBulli. New York: Free Press. pp. 60, 61. ISBN 978-1-4391-7555-2.
  5. ^ a b De La Cruz, Melissa (2017). Because I was a Girl. New York, NY: Henry Holt and Company. pp. 194–199. ISBN 978-1-250-15446-0.
  6. ^ a b McKeever, Amy (February 12, 2014). "Asheville Chef Katie Button on Her Quick Rise and Learning From the Best". Eater. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  7. ^ Krader, Kate. "How Katie Button Learned to Make the Ultimate Gin and Tonic from Ferran Adria". Food & Wine. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  8. ^ McBride, Anne. "The Accidental Chef". Food Arts. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  9. ^ "Our Team: Chef Katie Button". Heirloom Hospitality Group. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  10. ^ https://www.foodandwine.com/lifestyle/40-most-important-restaurants-past-40-years
  11. ^ a b c Button, Katie (2016). CÚRATE: Authentic Spanish Food from an American Kitchen. New York: Flatiron Books. ISBN 978-1-250-05944-4.
  12. ^ https://www.citizen-times.com/get-access/?return=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.citizen-times.com%2Fstory%2Fnews%2Flocal%2F2017%2F05%2F26%2Fashevilles-cooking-chops-display-new-tv-show%2F348334001%2F
  13. ^ http://natgeotv.com/asia/worlds-best-chefs/about
  14. ^ https://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-dish-katie-button/
  15. ^ https://www.citizen-times.com/story/news/local/2018/08/14/asheville-curate-among-40-most-important-restaurants-40-years/986842002/
  16. ^ a b c d e f g h "Chef Katie Button". James Beard Foundation. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  17. ^ Busico, Michalene. "Robb Report's New Culinary Master for 2013". Robb Report. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)

References

Katie Button

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