Kari Rushing grew up in Front Royal, Virginia, and earned her culinary training from L’Academie de Cuisine. After cooking under James Beard– and Michelin-awarded chefs, she returned to her hometown with her husband and two young children to open Vault & Cellar in a 120-year-old bank. Kari is the Chef-Owner and Executive Bourbon Steward of Vault & Cellar and a Stave & Thief Society–certified Bourbon Steward, curating a collection of more than 300 bourbons and earning the restaurant a spot on Bourbon Review’s Best Bourbon Bars in America in 2022.