Unmi Abkin

Born in Korea, and adopted to a Mexican mother and Jewish American father, Unmi grew up immersed in the food of several cultures. She attended The California Culinary Academy in San Francisco before spending time in the kitchens at Chez Panisse in Berkeley, California and Boulevard in San Francisco. She opened her first restaurant, Cha Cha Cha, in Northampton, Massachusetts when she was 25 years old. She has been nominated as a semifinalist for the James Beard Award for Best Chef Northeast four times for her work at Coco & The Cellar Bar, the restaurant she owns with her husband and co-author, Roger Taylor, in Easthampton, Massachusetts.