Leah Chase

Leah Chase, known as the "Queen of Creole Cuisine," was the executive chef at Dooky Chase Restaurant in New Orleans from the 1940's until her death in 2019. A longtime advocate for civil rights, her restaurant was a meeting place for the Freedom Riders and prominent civil rights activists -- and one of the first places in the segregated south where blacks and whites could dine together. A lifelong resident of Louisiana, Chase was a patron of local artists, amassing a distinguished collection of African-American art displayed at Dooky Chase. She is widely considered to be a pioneer of soul food and an icon of American cooking.