Anne Hart

A West Virginia native, Anne has held restaurant management and district management positions and has opened twelve restaurants in fine dining and casual in Atlanta, Rochester, NY, Boston, and Washington, DC, prior to opening Provence Market Café in Bridgeport, West Virginia in May 2002 and Hart Kitchen Eatery and Cookery in 2020.

Provence Market Café was an interpretation of rustic Southern French recipes incorporating local and regional influences. In her re-creation as Hart Kitchen Eatery, Anne is offering her interpretation of classic dishes, both old and new, in a rotating regional and seasonal menu. Hart Kitchen Cookery is the culmination of her vision to share culinary insights she gleaned along the way of cooking with your eyes, nose, and ears to beginners and experts of all ages.

Anne was an advocate of The Collaborative of the 21st Century Appalachia, an organization that embraced and raised awareness of our Appalachian roots and funded many West Virginia initiatives through its annual fundraiser, The Cast Iron Cook Off competition and other state-wide efforts. Team Provence was a Multi Award Winner and later became a part of Team West Virginia.

Hart was a founder of the Bridgeport Farmers Market in 2009 and sat on the Buy Fresh/Buy Local West Virginia steering committee. She also served on the Board of Directors of the Southern Food and Beverage Museum (re-named National Food and Beverage Foundation) in New Orleans and has been a member of Women Chefs and Restaurateurs. She was included in the inaugural edition of Best Chefs America in 2013 and Best Chefs of the South. Hart is a recipe contributor to Appalachian Appetite, 31 Days of Local Food by Davines and Top Chefs of West Virginia cookbooks in addition to being honored as the WV Executive Magazine “Young Guns” and their Focus “Wonder Women of West Virginia” and as a “Women of Distinction” by the Progressive Woman’s Association. USA Today featured Anne as “50 States: 50 Chefs” honoring woman during Women’s History Month as West Virginia’s Female Food Maker. Anne served as the 2006 Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Harrison County Chamber of Commerce and is a past President of the Board of Directors of the Greater Bridgeport Convention and Visitors Bureau. She also is a graduate of “Leadership Bridgeport” and is a graduate of the, by invitation only, “FBI Citizens Academy”. Hart previously hosted a weekly television spot “Hot Plate”, demonstrating new and hot culinary trends and previously wrote a monthly food columnist for the Clarksburg Exponent Telegram.

As the Lead Culinary Judge of West Virginia’s High School ProStart culinary program, supported by West Virginia Department of Education and also the distinction of a multi-year appointment as a National Judge to the National Restaurant Association Education Foundation’s National ProStart Invitational competition, she supports and advocates the concept of growing our own culinary talents of the future.

Explore her engagement with Root to Table’s 2025 Salute to Women Event.