Chef/Activist, Laurey Masterton

Laurey Masterton is the youngest of the three daughters of Elsie and John Masterton, founders of the original Blueberry Hill Inn, in Goshen, Vermont and authors of the three Blueberry Hill Cookbooks:

Laurey studied theatrical lighting design at The University of New Hampshire and worked backstage in New York City in this field: off, off-off, and on Broadway. She was an Outward Bound Instructor, co-creating and instructing the first Outward Bound courses for Cancer Survivors at The North Carolina Outward Bound School before starting her catering company, Laurey’s Catering (yum!) and Gourmet to Go, in Asheville, North Carolina in 1987.

In 1999, Laurey was awarded the Small Business Leader of the Year for both Asheville and for the state of North Carolina.  In 2001, she was the recipient of The Athena Award, which promotes women’s leadership and honors outstanding leaders. An active member of the Asheville community, she serves on a number of boards, is very involved with local farm-to-table initiatives, and is particularly interested in helping children experience gardening and the cooking and eating of real food.

In 2009 she rode her bike across the United States to raise awareness about the importance of early detection of ovarian cancer.  She is fascinated by glass-blowing, speaks Italian (pretty well), and collects sea urchins, antique chafing dishes, and old Clementine boxes.  Most importantly she is a beekeeper.

www.laureysyum.com