THE CO-FOUNDER of a prestigious restaurant in the West Midlands has been awarded a top prize from the Michelin Guide.
Ash Valenzuela-Heeger, the curator of the ‘inventive’ dishes at Riverine Rabbit, has been crowned the Michelin Young Chef of 2025, beating chefs from across Great Britain and Ireland.
Ash founded Riverine Rabbit – a popular food spot in the Birmingham suburb of Stirchley – with her wife Erin after moving to West Midlands from South Africa.
The ‘modern’ restaurant has itself been awarded a Bib Gourmand distinction after this year’s Michelin Guide Awards which took place earlier this week (February 10), highlighting its commitment to “offering affordable, high-quality cooking”.
Known for cooking up deliciously innovative dishes for reasonable prices, Riverine Rabbit is praised for ensuring “each plate is a vibrant joy to eat, while the whole [dining] experience guarantees a fun night out”, according to the Michelin Guide.
Describing Ash’s win, the Michelin Guide said: “After having opened Riverine Rabbit with her wife Erin to great acclaim, and received a Bib Gourmand this year, Ash Valenzuela-Heeger has been identified by the Inspectors as an exciting young talent.
“Ash’s cooking had been generating buzz in Brummie circles for some time thanks to various pop-ups, before the permanent opening of her inventive and invigorating restaurant, which has further strengthened the brilliant Birmingham dining scene.
“Her original cooking is big on flavour and draws on influences from her native South Africa to across Asia.”
Ash said she was “thrilled” to not only be named the nation’s young chef of the year but also garner recognition for Riverine Rabbit as a whole as well.
She said: “Michelin has been and always will be the gold standard of accolades for me and it's a publication that I've been collecting from a very young age.
“It feels like a dream come true to be seen for all the hard work Erin and I have poured into our food and service for the last year and beyond.”
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