It's no secret that Arrington has had a major career evolution, going from Michelin-trained cooking-show contender to opening two fine-dining restaurants, that's setting herself up for a different kind of success in the cooking world. "I'm a chef, but in my core, I'm a businesswoman," she said. "I think it really comes from my dad also; he said something to me at a very young age, which was, 'Aim for the moon and hit the fence post, but never aim for the fence post and hit the dirt.' So I took that as, I can never dream big enough. Learning to be vulnerable, learning to be open, not being afraid . . . my ultimate goal really is to break that systemic idea that people like me can't win."
While describing her "huge evolution of self," the chef recalled her time spent in some of the most arduous kitchens in the world, where "just to be showing up and having representation was important" to her. Now a true mentor to a young woman named Peyton Johnson who worked at her restaurant Native, the chef continues to branch out in unexpected ways. With appearances on MasterChef, Tournament of Champions, Guy's Grocery Games, Eater's Plateworthy, and Selena + Chef with Selena Gomez, plus her addictive restaurant-news podcast, Happy Mouth, and her recent collaboration with Shake Shack on her limited-edition Aisoon burger, there doesn't seem to be anything Arrington can't do.
