All About Edna Lewis, Renowned Chef and Godmother of Southern Cooking

Edna Lewis

Edna Lewis, the culinary virtuoso and undisputed godmother of Southern cooking, left an undeniable mark on the food industry. Continuing to resonate with both aspiring and seasoned chefs now, her journey is a testament to her unwavering commitment to preserving and celebrating genuine Southern cuisine.

Known now as one of the most respected and celebrated women and chefs in the industry, Lewis's impact has transcended her lifetime and helped her to leave behind a legacy that continues to inspire and shape the landscape of Southern cooking today. While her cookbooks are a landmark of her incomparable work, there's so much more to know about the talented chef and culinary ambassador. Here are seven things you need to know about Edna Lewis.

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She was one of eight children.

Born on April 13, 1916 in Freetown, Virginia, Edna Lewis emerged as one of eight children. Rich with historical significance, the town was founded by three formerly enslaved people—one of which was Lewis' grandfather, Chester Lewis.

One of her many jobs was creating custom designs for Marilyn Monroe.

From an early age, Lewis displayed a keen interest in traditional skills, immersing herself in the arts of sewing, baking and cooking, learning from the seasoned women around her. In 1928, however, the soon-to-be chef embarked on a solo adventure during the Great Migration and made her way from Freetown to Washington, D.C. and eventually New York City—the latter of which saw her land a job at a laundromat. Unfortunately though, she was fired after working just three hours due to her inexperience with ironing.

Though that job didn't work out, Lewis was able to nab plenty of other jobs while in New York including working at a communist newspaper, campaigning for President Franklin D. Roosevelt and and showcasing her talents as a sought-after seamstress. Thanks to her highly praised job as a seamstress, Lewis was able to create custom designs for actresses Marilyn Monroe and Doe Avedon.

Her first job as head chef came in 1948.

While anyone would think that after creating custom designs for top-notch actresses would forge a lifelong path for Lewis, in 1948, she seized the opportunity of a lifetime by joining forces with antique dealer Johnny Nicholson to open Café Nicholson on East 57th Street in Manhattan. As the head chef, she crafted a menu brimming with simple Southern delicacies, attracting luminaries such as Paul Robeson, Tennessee Williams Gore Vidal, Gloria Vanderbilt and more.

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A broken ankle led her to create her first cookbook.

Following her success at Café Nicholson, Lewis ventured into diverse pursuits, from pheasant farming in New Jersey to teaching cooking classes and guiding visitors in the American Museum of Natural History. It was an unfortunate slip and fall, however, that led her to compile her recipes into her first cookbook released in 1972, The Edna Lewis Cookbook. 

Lewis' second cookbook catapulted her into the national spotlight.

While her first cookbook was praised by culinary icons like James Beard and M.K.F. Fisher, it was her second book, The Taste of Country Cooking, published in 1976, that took her stardom up a few notches. Recognized as a groundbreaking work that reignited interest in authentic Southern cuisine, it remains a staple for aspiring chefs seeking inspiration from her unparalleled knowledge and personal touch.

She's won a number of awards.

Throughout her illustrious career, Lewis garnered numerous accolades, including being the inaugural recipient of the James Beard Living Legend Award in 1995. She was also named a Grand Dame by the international organization of female culinary professionals known as Les Dames d'Escoffier in 1999 and was inducted into the James Beard Cookbook Hall of Fame in 2003—among many other things.

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Her face was placed on a postal stamp.

Despite retiring from cooking in 1992, she remained steadfast in her mission to protect Southern culinary traditions and even co-founded the Society for the Revival and Preservation of Southern Food in the mid-1990s. While she passed away on at the age of 89 in her home in Decatur, GA on February 13, 2006, that didn't stop her from receiving a number of posthumous honors. One of those honors was receiving a United States postal stamp in her image.

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