Unmi Abkin

Unmi Abkin's early relationship with food centered around longing. As an orphaned child in South Korea, she experienced hunger on a daily basis. Eventually adopted by a Jewish-American father and a Mexican mother, Abkin was steeped in diverse food traditions. Flavor was a revelation that ultimately defined her passion for food. A graduate of California Culinary Academy, she interned at Chez Panisse and worked at Boulevard Restaurant before opening her first restaurant 25 years ago. Abkin now...See more

Unmi Abkin's early relationship with food centered around longing. As an orphaned child in South Korea, she experienced hunger on a daily basis. Eventually adopted by a Jewish-American father and a Mexican mother, Abkin was steeped in diverse food traditions. Flavor was a revelation that ultimately defined her passion for food. A graduate of California Culinary Academy, she interned at Chez Panisse and worked at Boulevard Restaurant before opening her first restaurant 25 years ago. Abkin now owns the Easthampton, Massachusetts-based restaurant Coco & The Cellar Bar with her husband, Roger Taylor, and is a four-time semifinalist for the James Beard Award for Best Chef in the Northeast. See less