Karen Akunowicz Chef Bio Wiki Age Spouse Baby and Net Worth

Karen Akunowicz is a popular American chef and possessor of Fox & the Knife in Boston. In November 2021, Karen opened her second restaurant named Bar Volpe, in South Boston which focuses on Southern Italian cuisine. In 2018, Karen was the Award winner of the James Beard Foundation in the category of Best Chef: Northeast.

She also writes lifestyle articles and recipes for Prowder.com and is contented to be a No Kid Hungry Chef, serving alongside the organization Share Our Strength to get rid of childhood hunger. Karen is now working on her second cookbook “Crave: Bold Recipes That Make You Want Seconds”  which will be released in the fall of 2023. She served at L’Avian Blu in Modena, Italy, and at Boston restaurants Via Matta and Oleana prior to working as the executive chef and a partner at Joanne Chang’s Myers+Chang.

In 2015, Karen was a competitor on season 13 of Top Chef. Karen was a guest judge on Season 6 of Top Chef Canada in 2019.  Karen co-authored a cookbook released in 2017, Myers+Chang at Home: Recipes from the Beloved Boston Eatery. In 2020, Karen contested on Top Chef: All-Stars L.A. In 2022 she contested in Season 3 of Guy Fieri’s Tournament of Champions.

Karen was born onSeptember 17, 1978, in Kearny, New Jersey, in theUnited States. She is45 years old.Karen celebrates her birthday on September 17, every year.

She is a woman of average stature. Karen stands at a height of5 ft 6 in(Approx. 1.65 m).

She was born in Kearny, New Jersey, to her parents. Karen’s mom was a children’s librarian for years, and she grew up reading all the time. Karen has a sister namedJennifer Matoswho has two daughters. In April 2022, Karen shared their childhood photos on Instagram. Conforming to Karen’s mother’s Instagram bio, she isLilyand celebrates her birthday on September 11.

Karen is married to her spouseLJ Johnson. The two married secretly on May 29, 2014, at Boston City Hall and remarried in front of friends and family two days later on May 31, 2014, on Lavender Farm in Maine. In late July 2022, Karen reported she was pregnant with her first child a daughter due in September 2022. Karen’s babyRogue Marie Akunowicz Johnsonwas born in October 2022.

She is a proud mother of a daughter,Rogue Marie Akunowicz Johnsonborn on September 23, 2022.

In 1996, Karen graduated from Kearny High School. Following graduating from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, she went to Boston. While waiting tables, Karen intended to apply to graduate school for social work, but she determined to go to culinary school instead, going to the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts.

She served at L’Avian Blu in Modena, Italy, and at Boston restaurants Via Matta and Oleana prior to working as the executive chef and a partner at Joanne Chang’s Myers+Chang. Karen became nominated for a James Beard Award in 2015, and she received the title of Best Chef: Northeast in 2018.

In 2019, Karen opened her own restaurant, Fox & the Knife, an Italian restaurant located in South Boston. In 2019, the restaurant was named Best New Restaurant in America by Food and Wine Magazine and Eater International and in 2020 by USA Today. Fox & the Knife Became also nominated for the James Beard Award due to Best New Restaurant in America in 2019 and 2020.

In November 2021, Karen began her second restaurant, Bar Volpe, in South Boston. The restaurant focuses on Southern Italian cuisine.

In 2015, Karen was a competitor on season 13 of Top Chef. Karen was a guest judge on Season 6 of Top Chef Canada in 2019. In 2020, Karen contested on Top Chef: All-Stars L.A. In 2022 she contested in Season 3 of Guy Fieri’s Tournament of Champions.

In 2018, she received the prestigious James Beard Foundation Award in the category of Best Chef: Northeast. Karen also made the momentous decision to strike out on her own to open a restaurant called Fox & the Knife (opened in Winter 2019) which would make her to indulge her love of cooking Italian-inspired food and drink offered in a warm and welcoming enoteca.

In 2014, Karen married her partner, LJ Johnson. In late July 2022, Karen reported she was pregnant with her first child due in September 2022. At the moment, Karen has not disclosed who is the baby father of her daughter.

She has also reappeared on Food Network’s “Beat Bobby Flay.”

As a chef & owner of Fox & the Knife in Boston, Karen makes a classic Italian-American comfort food: Baked Ziti. She begins by making a tomato sauce with garlic, olive oil, San Marzano tomatoes, as well as fresh basil. She later cooks penne to al dente perfection prior to tossing them in a blend of mozzarella, ricotta, and breadcrumbs. The pasta solution gets layered into a casserole dish, together with the tomato sauce, and is topped with more cheese and lots of fresh parsley prior to baking in the oven.

She is a chef who owns restaurants namely Fox & the Knife Enoteca in South Boston, Fox Pasta Co., and Bar Volpe Ristorante & Pastificio. She has been touted “Boston’s Queen of Pasta” and Karen’s first restaurant Fox & the knife named an “Instant Classic” by Food & Wine Magazine.

In 2019, Karen opened her own restaurant, Fox & the Knife, an Italian restaurant located in South Boston. In 2019, the restaurant was named Best New Restaurant in America by Food and Wine Magazine and Eater International, and in 2020 by USA Today. Fox & the Knife Became also nominated for the James Beard Award due to Best New Restaurant in America in 2019 and 2020.

In November 2021, Karen began her second restaurant, Bar Volpe, in South Boston. The restaurant focuses on Southern Italian cuisine.

– Fox & the Knife Boston (2019–present) – Bar Volpe, Boston (2021–present) – Myers + Chang

Karen announced her pregnancy news through Instagram on July 2022 and shared a video that featured her partner LJ Johnson and her pregnancy bump. Her daughter Rogue Marie Akunowicz Johnson was born on September 23, 2022. She posted a video of her daughter for the first time in October 2022.

In 2015, she became a fan best when she took part in Bravo’s Emmy-nominated show “Top Chef,” and has also reappeared on Food Network’s “Beat Bobby Flay.”

She began cooking to impress a girl. Currently, Karen’s kitchen nickname is Chainsaw and she’s one of the most well-known chefs in the United States.

Karen gets her wealth from her work as a chef and possessor of Fox & the Knife in Boston and Bar Volpe. Therefore, Karen has accumulated a decent fortune over the years. Karen’s estimated net worth is$5 million.

Karen is a 45-year-old who was born onSeptember 17, 1978, in Kearny, New Jersey, in the United States. Karen celebrates her birthday on September 17, every year.

Karen is married to her spouseLJ Johnson. The two married secretly on May 29, 2014, at Boston City Hall and remarried in front of friends and family two days later on May 31, 2014, on Lavender Farm in Maine.

Karen is a chef and possessor of Fox & the Knife in Boston. In November 2021, Karen opened her second restaurant named Bar Volpe, in South Boston which focuses on Southern Italian cuisine. In 2018, Karen was the Award winner of the James Beard Foundation in the category of Best Chef: Northeast.

Instagram – chefkarenakunowicz