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 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.