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A Tribute to Leah Chase, Queen of Creole Cuisine

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Leah Chase passed away surrounded by her family on Saturday. The Queen of Creole Cuisine, who inspired fine dining chefs and home cooks alike, was also an important and iconic change agent for social justice, cultural awareness and, with her lifelong devotion to New Orleans, she was the beloved matriarch of a family and of a city.

Born in Madisonville, Louisiana in 1923, she married musician Edgar “Dooky” Chase II in 1946. He was running his family’s po-boy sandwich stand in Treme. She’d grown up on a farm poor but leaned the art of cooking by doing. The couple would take over the stand, transform it into a sit-down eatery and deliver Creole cuisine to locals, and presidents.

Then-US presidential candidate, Barack Obama shares a light moment with Dooky Chase restaurant owner Leah Chase during a visit in New Orleans, Louisiana, February 7, 2008.

New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell said “We are poorer for her loss, and richer for having known and having loved her.”

She died peacefully surrounded by family. She was 96.

Here’s what you need to know:

Chase’s Legend & Legacy Begins & Ends in NOLA Where Her Heart & Hearth Was Always Open

Leah Chase was an award-winning and revered chef, a TV personality, an author, a mother, matriarch, advocate for the arts and curator, and member of the civil rights movement in that Dooky’s was at once a place for civil rights leaders to both eat well and meet.

She took her Creole cooking from the farm to the table and her restaurant was named one of the most important American restaurants by Food & Wine. Chase was inducted into the James Beard Foundation’s Who’s Who of Food & Beverage in America; honored with a lifetime achievement award from the Southern Foodways Alliance; received the Times-Picayune Loving Cup Award; and the Southern Food and Beverage Museum in New Orleans, Louisiana named a permanent gallery in her honor. She was awarded honorary degrees from Tulane University, Our Lady of Holy Cross College, Loyola University New Orleans, and Johnson & Wales University among others.

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The accolades take up several pages in one of her books.

Chase was Described as a Legend, an Icon, an Inspiration & Far More to New Orleans & the World

New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell took to Twitter to honor Chase, a “legend.”

“Leah Chase was a legend, an icon and an inspiration. It is impossible to overstate what she meant to our City and to our community. At Dooky Chase’s Restaurant: she made creole cuisine the cultural force that it is today. She made a family-owned sandwich shop into one of the first African-American fine dinning restaurants in the country, and she made history— with Dooky’s serving as a cradle and a hot spot for the Civil Rights movement,” she wrote.

“Leah Chase served presidents and celebrities, she served generations of locals and visitors, and she served her community. She was a culture-bearer in the truest sense. We are poorer for her loss, and richer for having known and having loved her. She will be badly missed. My sincere condolences, my prayers and my love go out to her family. The City of New Orleans will be there for them, in gratitude for all that Leah gave us. May she rest in God’s perfect peace.”

“To be a woman, you have to look like a girl, act like a lady, think like a man and work like a dog. RIP Leah Chase”

Chase’s Fierce Love for New Orleans Was Evident During & After Hurricane Katrina

Leah Chase after Katrina.

At 83, Chase worked with the 130-member strong alliance group Women of the Storm to work to rebuild and preserve after the devastation of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

Barack Obama eats gumbo with restaurant owner Leah Chase.

Dooky Chase’s 6th Ward location was inundated with flood waters from Katrina and could not reopen. Her collection of African-American art was placed in storage. Restaurateurs in NOLA had a posh dinner/fundraiser to help save Dooky Chase’s and raised around $40,000.

The Chase Family Says it is Both Mourning Her Loss & Celebrating her Life

“The Chase family is heartbroken to share the news that our Mother, Grandmother and Great Grandmother, Leah Chase, passed away surrounded by her family on June 1, 2019. Leah Chase, lovingly referred to as the Queen of Creole Cuisine, was the executive chef and co-owner of the historic and legendary Dooky Chase’s Restaurant. She was a major supporter of cultural and visual arts and an unwavering advocate for civil liberties and full inclusion of all. She was a proud entrepreneur, a believer in the spirit of New Orleans and the goodwill of all people, and an extraordinary woman of faith,” the family wrote.

“Mrs. Chase was a strong and selfless matriarch. Her daily joy was not simply cooking, but preparing meals to bring people together. One of her most prized concept contributions was advocating for the Civil Rights Movement through feeding those on the front lines of the struggle for human dignity. She saw her role and that of Dooky Chase’s Restaurant to serve as a vehicle for social change during a difficult time in our country‘s history. Throughout her tenure, Leah treasured all of her customers and was honored to have the privilege to meet and serve them.”

“While we mourn her loss, we celebrate her remarkable life, and cherish the life lessons she taught us. The family will continue her legacy of “work, pray, and do for others.”

Grateful to you,

The Chase Family”

‘What a Life!’ Condolences & Celebrations for a Woman Who’s Life Was Well-Loved. Chase Was teh Inspiration for Tiana in Disney’s ‘Princess & the Frog’

“Leah Chase managed boxers, fed presidents, encouraged the Freedom Riders & was the inspiration for Princess Tiana in Princess and the Frog. What a life.”

“Leah Chase. Legend. What a life. What an amazing force.”

“Dr. John sings “Down in New Orleans” from “The Princess and the Frog” — Princess Tiana was based on beloved NOLA chef Leah Chase.”

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