Welcome to my kitchen!

My name is Lisa Monroe, and I’ve been dancing with flames and flavors for 10 years. I was born in Savannah, Georgia, where the scent of magnolia mingled with shrimp boils and pecan pies wafting from my grandmother’s kitchen. She was the first woman I saw command a room with a ladle and a story. Watching her, I understood early on that food isn’t just nourishment—it’s connection, identity, a language.

I started in humble kitchens, working prep at 15 in a soul food. The hours were long, the pay barely there, but the learning was constant. After culinary school in New York and stints in Chicago and Portland, I found my rhythm in blending Southern heritage with global techniques. I once fused collard greens with miso and watched a room fall silent at first bite. That moment—the hush that follows something unexpected but right—is what I chase every time I pick up my knife.

Being a woman in this industry hasn’t always been easy. I’ve had my ideas dismissed, been called “sweetheart” in boardrooms, and worked twice as hard to earn the same nods others get for less. But every burn, every missed holiday, every ten-table night built a kind of quiet resilience in me. I now co-own a restaurant in Asheville, North Carolina, where our team is proudly 80% women-led. We aren’t just making plates—we’re building legacies.

To my fellow professional women chefs: I see you. I know the weight of the apron and the pride of the plate. Keep experimenting, keep asking questions, keep holding the line. The kitchen is big enough for all our voices—and it’s about time the world heard more of ours.