Ash Valenzuela-Heeger, a South African-born chef, has won a major award, earning the Michelin’s Young Chef Award for 2025.
Birmingham, United Kingdom (12 February 2025) – From Cape Town to a Netflix Show and now the Michelin Young Chef Award for 2025, Ash Valenzuela-Heeger has been making major headlines from her kitchen, showcasing her incredible talent once again.
What started as a love of cooking in Cape Town, has taken Ash on a culinary journey that dreams are made of! Ash featured in the Netflix cooking show “The Final Table” which brought chefs from around the world to compete for a place at the Final Table.
Now based in Birmingham, UK, Ash runs the Riverine Rabbit with her wife Erin. The restaurant showcases produce from local farmers and creates delicious small plates, including fried chicken and caviar, crab toast, and a pickle plate (Yum!).
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The restaurant has gone on to earn a Bib Gourmand, which is not quite a Michelin Star but is an acknowledgement of culinary excellence from the Michelin Guides for high-quality food at moderate pricing.
“Each plate is a vibrant joy to eat, while the whole experience guarantees a fun night out. It’s no surprise that Chef-Owner Ash Valenzuela-Heeger is also the recipient of this year’s MICHELIN Young Chef Award.” – Michelin Guide
This year’s MICHELIN Guide Ceremony for Great Britain and Ireland took place at Glasgow’s Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum on Monday 10th February. A total of five special awards were presented, with Ash being bestowed the Michelin Young Chef Award for 2025.
The Michelin Guide shared:
“After having opened Riverine Rabbit with her wife Erin to great acclaim, and received a Bib Gourmand this year, Ash Valenzuela-Heeger has been identified by the Inspectors as an exciting young talent. Ash’s cooking had been generating buzz in Brummie circles for some time thanks to various pop-ups, before the permanent opening of her inventive and invigorating restaurant which has further strengthened the brilliant Birmingham dining scene. Her original cooking is big on flavour and draws on influences from her native South Africa to across Asia.”
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