Anne Kearney is an Americanchef and restaurateur. Kearney describes her cooking with the motto "Food of Love". With a background at Bistro at the Maison de Ville and Peristyle with John Neal and as line cook and culinary assistant at Emeril Lagasse's Emeril's, she was given the opportunity to purchase Peristyle from Neal's estate in 1995. She rose to national recognition and later was honored in 2002 with a James Beard Foundation award as "Southeast Regional Best Chef". Kearney's food is an American interpretation of Provençalbistro fare.
Biography
Kearney earned her toque at the Greater Cincinnati Culinary Arts Academy. Five years after graduation she visited New Orleans for Mardi Gras celebration she left her home state of Ohio for New Orleans. In New Orleans, she worked at Mr. B's bistro, then at Bistro at the Maison de Ville hotel under John Neal; in 1991, she followed Neal to Peristyle. After Neal died, teh 27-year old Kearney bought Peristyle from his estate. Kearney credits her stint as sous-chef there for the development of her classic French cooking techniques. The flair for the flavors of New Orleans evolved during her three years with Emeril Lagasse, where she did everything from cooking on the line and developing cookbook recipes to researching and writing Emeril's TV show scripts. Kearney returned to Peristyle as its chef and proprietor shortly after Neal died. In 2004, Kearney sold Peristyle and moved back to Ohio. She cultivated and worked on Two Small Tomatoes, her all-natural organic garden. Investing herself seed to table in the world of food. On November 27, 2007, Kearney opened Rue Dumaine in Washington Township, Ohio. "Rue Dumaine" was the street on which Peristyle was located. Rue Dumaine has gone on to win both awards and recognition for their food. In July 2017, following the sale of the property where her restaurant was located, Kearney closed Rue Dumaine to pursue other culinary adventures. In February 2019, she was approached by restaurateurs John and Trudy Cooper to be the executive chef & partner of Oak & Ola, a "Euro-American" restaurant located in Tampa, Florida. Further expanding her love of French ingredients and flavor profiles to the surrounding countries of Italy, Germany, Spain, England, Belgium and beyond.
