Husband and Wife Journalists Recall Anniversary Memory with Beloved Chef Leah Chase

Leah Chase, 96, the nation’s preeminent Creole chef, who fed such prominent historical figures such as former President Barack Obama and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., has joined the ancestors. She passed away Saturday, June 1, at her son’s home.

As proprietor of the famed Dooky Chase’s Restaurant, opened by her father-in-law and located in the city’s Treme neighborhood, Chef Chase is noted for putting Creole cooking on America’s culinary map. The restaurant was a meeting place for civil rights activists during the “Jim Crow” days of racial segregation. It was also a noted dining venue for black entertainers including Ray Charles, who mentioned the restaurant in his song “Early in the Morning.”

It’s only fitting that Chef Chase served as an inspiration Disney’s first black heroine, Tiana, star of the animated movie The Princess and the Frog, who was an aspiring restaurant owner.

I am originally from Louisiana – born and raised in Alexandria, attended college at the University of Southwestern Louisiana (now the University of Louisiana) in Lafayette, worked as a journalist in Monroe – and am perpetually homesick. For our 13^th wedding anniversary in 2018, my wife Helaine and I visited New Orleans, promising ourselves that we’d head over from our French Quarter hotel to Dooky Chase’s and meet Chef Chase.

We arrived shortly before Dooky Chase’s opened for the day, and as we expected, we had to get in line to enter the popular eatery. Of course, the meal was worth the wait. Diners were told that if they wanted to say hello to Chef Chase, they should head to the restaurant’s rear where she’d be meeting and greeting. We rushed back there and got in line again.

We introduced ourselves, and I told Chef Chase that I was originally from Louisiana, but living in Little Rock.

“She kidnapped you from Louisiana?” she asked, referring to Helaine. We all had a laugh.

Chef Chase then autographed a copy of a magazine that contained a story about her and posed for photos with us. We were blessed to converse with her a bit further, especially about her restaurant’s delicious food – cuisine I sorely missed.

As husband-and-wife journalists, Helaine and I have met and interviewed many beautiful people during our lives, and Chef Chase tops the list. We told her that next time we came to her restaurant, we’d bring my mother, who lives in Lafayette.

Unfortunately, my mother missed the opportunity to met Chef Chase, and my wife and I are saddened we won’t have another chance to chat with her. We became friends during those special moments last year. Her spirit is still alive in our hearts, and it surely lives on in many a taste bud.