Southern Cookbook Author Edna Lewis Dies at 89
Edna Lewis, long the grand dame of Southern food and cooking, died quietly at her home in Decatur, Georgia, yesterday. The granddaughter of a former slave, Miss Lewis redefined Southern cooking through her many cookbooks, and was respected and loved by generations of cooks, readers, restaurant goers and chefs. In 1999, she was awarded a Southern Foodways Alliance Lifetime Achievement Award for her work in preserving and furthering Southern cooking traditions.
In that same year, she was also a recipient of the Grande Dame of Les Dames d’Escoffier International.
Her most recent book, written with her caregiver and friend, chef Scott Peacock, The Gift of Southern Cooking: Recipes and Revelations From Two Great American Cooks, was published in 2003 to great critical acclaim, but she is probably best remembered for her first book, The Taste of Country Cooking.
Published in 1976, The Taste of Country Cooking redefined Southern cookery as one that relied upon fresh, seasonal ingredients simply prepared with a minimum of seasonings, which allowed the natural flavors to shine through. To a generation of cooks weary of can-opener cookery, her book, written in lucid prose that gave the impression that Lewis was at the cook’s side, whispering secrets as they cooked together, stood as an invitation to learn an older way of cooking that tasted new and fresh.
Not surprisingly, she influenced chef Alice Waters of Chez Panisse, whose cooking philosophy can be boiled down to, “fresh, seasonal ingredients, prepared simply.”
While Miss Lewis is probably best remembered for her cookbooks and her experiences as a chef, she was also keenly interested in issues of social justice, and civil rights.
She is survived by an adopted son, Dr. Afeworki Paulos, a sister, a stepsister and a brother.
A private memorial service will be held in Atlanta; Lewis will be buried in the family plot in Unionville, Virginia.
John T. Edge, of the Southern Foodways Alliance, has an entry on the SFA blog where folks can comment on Miss Lewis, her books and her influence on readers. He also lists an address where cards and flowers can be sent in tribute to her and to comfort her family.
Photo courtesy of the NY Times.
