Named “the most important chef in America” by the Financial Times, Mashama Bailey is the award-winning executive chef and co-founder of the critically acclaimed The Grey, which celebrates 10 years this December. Born in the Bronx and raised in Queens with maternal roots in Georgia, Mashama attended grammar school in Savannah. She first learned to cook at the hands of the women in her family and her formal education includes the Institute of Culinary Education (ICE) in New York City as well as LaVarenne in Burgundy, France. Prior to opening The Grey, Mashama’s career includes a dozen years cooking throughout New York City, the last four of which were at Prune on Manhattan’s Lower East Side under the tutelage of Gabrielle Hamilton. In 2019 and with the premier of Netflix’s Chef’s Table Season 6, Mashama became the first African American chef to star on the show. In 2022, her story was featured on the TODAY show as part of a series on inspiring women alongside the likes of Michelle Obama.