Karen Akunowicz (born September 17, 1978) is an American chef in Boston, Massachusetts.
Akunowicz is the chef and proprietor of Fox & the Knife
enoteca
Enoteca (plural: ''Enoteche'') is an Italian word that is derived from the Greek word Οινοθήκη, which literally means "wine repository" (from ''Oeno/Eno-'' Οινός "wine", and ''teca'' Θήκη, "receptacle, case, box"), but it is use ...
in
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
, which has been named to several best new restaurants lists. She received a 2018
James Beard Foundation Award
The James Beard Foundation Awards are annual awards presented by the James Beard Foundation to recognize chefs, restaurateurs, authors and journalists in the United States. They are scheduled around James Beard's May 5 birthday. The media award ...
for Best Chef: Northeast.
Early life and education
Akunowicz was born and raised in
Kearny, New Jersey
Kearny ( ) is a town in the western part of Hudson County, New Jersey, United States and a suburb of Newark. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town's population was 40,684,Kearny High School in 1996.
After graduating from the
University of Massachusetts Amherst
The University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Amherst, UMass) is a public research university in Amherst, Massachusetts and the sole public land-grant university in Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Founded in 1863 as an agricultural college, it ...
, she moved to
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
. While waiting tables, Akunowicz considered applying to graduate school for social work, but she decided to go to culinary school instead, attending the
Cambridge School of Culinary Arts
Cambridge School of Culinary Arts (CSCA) is a professional school located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It offers several certificate and professional programs, including a culinary studies and pastry specialization. It also offers a variety ...
.
Career
Akunowicz worked at L'Avian Blu in
Modena, Italy
Modena (, , ; egl, label=Emilian language#Dialects, Modenese, Mòdna ; ett, Mutna; la, Mutina) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) on the south side of the Po Valley, in the Province of Modena in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern I ...
and at Boston restaurants ''Via Matta'' and ''Oleana'' before becoming the executive chef and a partner at
Joanne Chang
Joanne Chang (born in Houston, Texas) is an American chef and restaurant owner. She is the owner of Flour Bakery in Boston and Cambridge, Massachusetts and James Beard Foundation Award winner for Outstanding Baker, 2016. In announcing the awar ...
's ''Myers+Chang''. She was nominated for a
James Beard Award
The James Beard Foundation Awards are annual awards presented by the James Beard Foundation to recognize chefs, restaurateurs, authors and journalists in the United States. They are scheduled around James Beard's May 5 birthday. The media award ...
in 2015, and she won the title of Best Chef: Northeast in 2018.
Akunowicz co-authored a cookbook published in 2017, ''Myers+Chang at Home: Recipes from the Beloved Boston Eatery''.
In 2019, Akunowicz opened her own restaurant, Fox & the Knife, an Italian restaurant in South Boston. In 2019, it was named Best New Restaurant in America by ''Food and Wine'' Magazine and Eater International and in 2020 by ''
USA Today
''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...
''. Fox & the Knife was also nominated for the James Beard Award for Best New Restaurant in America in 2019 and 2020.
In November 2021, Akunowicz opened her second restaurant, ''Bar Volpe'', in South Boston. It focuses on Southern Italian cuisine.
Television appearances
In 2014, Akunowicz competed on Beat Bobby Flay (season 1, episode 2), losing to Flay with Chicken & Waffles.
In 2015, Akunowicz was a contestant on season 13 of ''
Top Chef
''Top Chef'' is an American reality competition television series which premiered on Bravo on March 8, 2006. The show features chefs competing against each other in culinary challenges. The contestants are judged by a panel of professional chef ...
''. She was a guest judge on Season 6 of
Top Chef Canada
''Top Chef Canada'' is a Canadian reality competition television series and is considered one of the most prestigious culinary competitions in Canada. The show premiered on April 11, 2011, on Food Network Canada. The first season consisted of 13 ...
queer
''Queer'' is an umbrella term for people who are not heterosexual or cisgender. Originally meaning or , ''queer'' came to be used pejoratively against those with same-sex desires or relationships in the late 19th century. Beginning in the lat ...
femme
''Femme'' (; , literally meaning "woman") is a term traditionally used to describe a lesbian who exhibits a feminine identity or gender presentation. Alternate meanings of the word also exist with some non-lesbian individuals using the word, ...
. In 2014, she married her partner, LJ Johnson. In late July 2022, Akunowicz announced she was pregnant with her first child due in September 2022. Her daughter was born in October 2022.