Ian Boden

Coming Up

Ian Boden trained at New England Culinary Institute before moving into the kitchen at Glass Haus restaurant in Charlottesville, Virginia. Today, Ian is owner of The Shack and head chef of Maude & the Bear (since 2024).

Where They Are Now

At Maude & the Bear in Staunton, Virginia, Boden’s current role is chef/owner. The restaurant gives the latest point in a career that has stayed tightly tied to one Virginia city while still carrying the earlier marks of culinary school, Charlottesville kitchens, and an owner’s responsibility in Staunton. He also owns The Shack in Staunton, where his role is likewise rooted in the work of a chef-owner. Read alongside Maude & the Bear, it shows a present tense built on multiple rooms rather than a single title: one chef moving between ownership and the daily identity of cooking in the same community that shaped his earlier restaurants.

Signature

Signature dishes include Pretzel Gemelli and Blistered Okra.

In Their Words “Basically, we do a lot of sausages and 90 percent of the time when we do them, we season them simply with salt and black pepper, a little bit of espelette and sumac.” “I didn’t really open The Shack for national attention. I opened it to support the local community.”

Honors

Ian's honors include James Beard Best Chef semifinalist.