About Martha

Martha is an eighth generation Nashvillian, indebted to the traditional foodways of the South.

She began her professional cooking career as an undergraduate English student in Charlottesville, Va.

A few years later, Martha went back to school – this time to the Culinary Institute of America, where she graduated with honors. After a couple of years in the Caribbean, Martha returned to Nashville, where she continued to chef, and began writing about food as well. She opened Martha’s at the Plantation in 2000 as a showcase for the best in local, seasonal cuisine. Martha is involved in Slow Food, Friends of the Farmers Market, Southern Foodways Alliance, and Food Security. Her first cookbook, The New Southern Basics, is in its second printing. She writes a weekly column on southern food for The Tennessean. Martha is tremendously excited to have been asked to host a fundraising dinner for The James Beard Society this coming fall.

Martha and her family live in cozy house in the woods with way too many pets. Their favorite place to eat is in their tree house.