Poole’s Diner
- When
- October 16, 2025
- Where
-
Poole’s Diner
428 S. McDowell Street
Raleigh, NC
Poole’s is a modern diner with reimagined comfort food. Their evening menu of seasonal, locally-focused offerings changes weekly and sometimes daily. For this 90/90 event, three great friends will be cooking a beautiful fall meal inspired by Jacques Pépin, a chef who has inspired so many in his lifetime. Sara, Jason, and Ashley are all deeply connected to the classics in their cooking, and their friendship is an ingredient that takes them to new places when they cook together.
Highlights
- Multi-course collaborative dinner with host chef Ashley Christensen of Poole’s Diner (Raleigh), and guests chefs Sarah Grueneberg of Monteverde (Chicago) and Jason Stanhope of Sullivan’s Fish Camp (Charleston).
- Single communal seating, 40 guests max
- Start time 6:30 pm
- Wine pairings included, and generously donated by Michael Tiano, proprietor of Haw River Wine Merchant — “In honor of Jacques Pépin, we will showcase wines from around his hometown of Bourg en Bresse, spotlighting the beautiful terroirs of the Macon, Beaujolais, and the Côte de Beaune. All of these wines are sourced from small, independent vignerons that represent the spirit of Southern Burgundy, while complementing the cuisine made famous by Chef Pépin” (Michael Tiano)
- This dinner will celebrate a love of the classic cuisine of France, and the many ways it inspires cooks in kitchens all over the world — ”I am incredibly honored to welcome my great friends Sarah & Jason back to the Poole’s Diner kitchen. We have cooked together many times, and we always find so much inspiration from each other. Jacques Pépin has inspired all of us in our kitchens throughout our careers, in how he embraces ingredients & classic technique, but also in how he values joy and love of the craft as essential ingredients.” (Ashley Christensen)
Details
- Thanks to the generosity of the participating event host, a portion of the evening's proceeds will be donated to the Jacques Pépin Foundation to support our mission of expanding access to culinary education. We deeply appreciate your generous support.
- Jacques Pépin proudly supports our 90/90 Celebrations. While he can't be present at all of them, we invite you to check our website for details on the events where he will joining in celebration.
- For more information, contact Poole’s Diner
Event Host
Ashley Christensen
Chef and owner, Poole’s Diner, Beasley’s Chicken + Honey, Fox Liquor Bar, Death & Taxes and Bridge Club
Ashley Christensen is the chef and owner of Poole’s Diner, Beasley’s Chicken + Honey, Fox Liquor Bar, Death & Taxes, and Bridge Club, all located in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina. Ashley’s cooking—hinged on her philosophy of bright, fresh flavors and locally grown, seasonal ingredients—has garnered local and national acclaim.
Ashley is involved in a number of charities, including the Frankie Lemmon Foundation, Southern Smoke Foundation, and Southern Foodways Alliance. In 2019, she received her second James Beard Award for the category of “Outstanding Chef,” five years after the foundation first honored her with the award for “Best Chef: Southeast” in 2014.
She has also been named Chef of the Year by Eater.com and Tar Heel of the Year by the News & Observer. In the spring of 2021, Ashley received an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from North Carolina State University. She is the author of two cookbooks, Poole’s: Recipes and Stories from a Modern Diner (2016) and It’s Always Freezer Season (2021).
Guest Chefs
Sarah Grueneberg
Chef/partner, Monteverde Restaurant and Pastificio
Sarah Grueneberg is the James Beard Foundation Award-winning chef/partner of Monteverde Restaurant and Pastificio in Chicago’s West Loop and author of Listen To Your Vegetables. Monteverde has earned acclaimed reviews from various outlets, including being named Chicago Magazine’s #1 Restaurant in the 50 Best Restaurants list of 2024. Monteverde earned a three-star review from The Chicago Tribune and in 2016, it was named one of Food & Wine’s “America’s Best Restaurants.”
Other accolades include a top 50 finalist position in Bon Appetit’s “Best New Restaurants,” being named to Eater’s “21 Best New Restaurants in America,” GQ’s “12 Best New Restaurants,” Eater Chicago’s “Restaurant of the Year,” the “Worth the Wait” award in Chicago Tribune Dining Awards and named one of Chicago Magazine’s “15 Best New Restaurants.” In 2017, Monteverde was named one of “America’s 38 Essential Restaurants” by Eater and then awarded “Restaurant of the Year” in the 2018 Jean Banchet Awards
Jason Stanhope
Chef/partner, Sullivan’s Fish Camp
Jason Stanhope is Chef and Partner at Sullivan’s Fish Camp on Sullivan’s Island in Charleston, SC. From culinary school in San Francisco to apprenticing with Chef Michael Raas in Peru, he fell in love with the restaurant industry quickly after a stint playing collegiate football. Stanhope returned to Kansas in 2005 and joined Chef Debbie Gold at 40 Sardines as Chef de Cuisine.
Stanhope joined chef Mike Lata and his team at FIG in 2008. He was named Executive Chef in 2012 and later earned the James Beard Foundation Award for Best Chef: Southeast in 2015.
After 16 years, Stanhope left FIG in 2023 and announced his partnership with Method Co. to helm the Southern Tavern, Lowland. In March 2025, he joined Sullivan’s Fish Camp in what he called “a homecoming,” stepping into a chef/partner role that allows him to work with a team that showcases the Lowcountry’s best farmers and fishermen.
When he’s not working, Stanhope supports several nonprofits and spends time with his wife and fishing with his sons.
Images from the Event
Photos by Jaime Canete and Susan Wilber
