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Chef Ashley Christensen’s FOMO-Inducing Wedding Was a Southern Food Dreamland

The nuptials included pimento cheese, hangers of ham, and absolute who’s who of Southern food and beverage culture

Ashley Christensen
Johnny Autry

Over the past weekend, James Beard’s 2019 Outstanding Chef Ashley Christensen married executive director for AC Restaurants Kaitlyn Goalen, and it was an absolute who’s who of Southern food and beverage culture.

The couple hosted the FOMO-inducing wedding in Raleigh, North Carolina, with plenty of pimento cheese, hangers of country ham, Poole’s Diner mac and cheese, nebuchadnezzars of champagne, and caviar-covered tater tots. Southern Foodways Alliance director John T. Edge officiated the ceremony, while all-star chefs like Vivian Howard, Sean Brock, Sam Jones, and Steven Satterfield looked on.

If all that culinary power weren’t enough, bold-name musicians Bruce Hornsby, Justin Vernon (Bon Iver), and Sylvan Esso played during the reception.

For those of us not invited to the wedding of the decade, photos and video live on Instagram from guests using the official hashtag #ac⚡️kg. Here are just a few of the highlights from the dreamy union of Christensen and Goalen.

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A Laotian-Carolina bbq built for two #ac⚡️kg

A post shared by Emma Lipp (@emmalipp) on

2019 James Beard Award Chef and Restaurant Winners [EN]

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