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Karen Akunowicz
American chef From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Karen Akunowicz (born September 17, 1978)[1] is an American chef in Boston, Massachusetts.
Akunowicz is the chef and proprietor of Fox & the Knife enoteca in Boston, which has been named to several best new restaurants lists. She received a 2018 James Beard Foundation Award for Best Chef: Northeast.
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Early life and education
Akunowicz was born and raised in Kearny, New Jersey. She graduated from Kearny High School in 1996.[2]
After graduating from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, she moved to Boston.[citation needed] While waiting tables, Akunowicz considered applying to graduate school for social work, but she decided to go to culinary school instead, attending the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts.[3][4]
Career
Akunowicz worked at L'Avian Blu in Modena, Italy[5] and at Boston restaurants Via Matta and Oleana before becoming the executive chef and a partner at Joanne Chang's Myers+Chang.[6] She was nominated for a James Beard Award in 2015, and she won the title of Best Chef: Northeast in 2018.[7]
Akunowicz co-authored a cookbook published in 2017, Myers+Chang at Home: Recipes from the Beloved Boston Eatery.[8]
In 2019, Akunowicz opened her own restaurant, Fox & the Knife, an Italian restaurant in South Boston.[9] In 2019, it was named Best New Restaurant in America by Food and Wine Magazine and Eater International[10][6] and in 2020 by USA Today.[11] Fox & the Knife was also nominated for the James Beard Award for Best New Restaurant in America in 2019 and 2020.[12]
In November 2021, Akunowicz opened her second restaurant, Bar Volpe, in South Boston.[13] It focuses on Southern Italian cuisine.[14][15]
In March 2024, Akunowicz opened an offshoot of Fox & the Knife, named Fox & Flight, in Boston's Logan International Airport.[16]
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Television appearances
In 2014, Akunowicz competed on Beat Bobby Flay (season 1, episode 2), losing to Flay with Chicken & Waffles. In 2015, Akunowicz was a contestant on season 13 of Top Chef.[1] She was a guest judge on Season 6 of Top Chef Canada in 2019.[4] In 2020, Akunowicz competed on Top Chef: All-Stars L.A.[17] In 2022 she competed in Season 3 of Tournament of Champions.[18]
Personal life
Akunowicz identifies as a queer femme.[19] In 2014, she married her partner, LJ Johnson.[20] In late July 2022, Akunowicz announced she was pregnant with her first child due in September 2022.[21] Her daughter, Rogue, was born September 23, 2022.[22]
References
External links
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