The 2023 𝗟𝗶𝗳𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗔𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱 goes to Chef Elizabeth Wiley of Meadowlark Restaurant and Wheat Penny Oven and Bar in Dayton, Ohio.Wiley, as her friends call her, has created a legacy throughout the Dayton area and beyond. Her career began at the iconic The Winds Café in Yellow Springs.
As she tells it: “I had various cooking jobs while in college, and not long after graduation, I visited Yellow Springs. My last night in town, I was taken to The Winds Café. When brought in to see the kitchen during dinner service, I couldn’t believe my eyes—a bunch of women cooking, in chef coats! I had never seen a woman in a chef coat before. I immediately asked if I could work there. Skeptically, (who is this over-excited girl?) they said yes.”
After spending a couple of years at The Winds, Wiley hopped a bus for San Francisco where she learned the “California Cuisine” of the early 80’s. From there, her career took her to Key West and Chicago but Yellow Springs held a special place in her heart.
She returned to become a partner at The Winds in 1994 and worked alongside a core group of women, all self-taught and immensely talented.
“Like dedicated chefs everywhere, we worked our asses off. We constantly read and worked on our cooking, at work and at home. We’d use each other as guinea pigs. Oh, the dinner parties!”
In 2004, she ventured out on her own to open Meadowlark and 9 years later, Wheat Penny with her best friend Liz Valenti (check out the pictures of them then and now). After a legendary career, Chef Wiley retired ten months ago and sold the restaurants to her wonderful business partners Dave & Liz.Join us in congratulating Chef Wiley, she is so deserving of this award. Cheers to you, Wiley! We can’t wait to celebrate you at the Industry Awards.
