Edna Lewis

EDNA LEWIS

Edna Lewis was a busy woman. A descendant of freed slaves. she grew up on a subsistence farm and was a farmer, a seamstress and a celebrated chef in New York City. After she broke her ankle, Ms. Lewis took a few moments to sit still and write that cookbook that her editor wanted. The Taste of Country Cooking came out in 1976 and earned a spot on every cookbook shelf. Right next to that red and white checkered Better Homes Cookbook! LOL In the 1950's, Ms. Lewis was a chef in New York's Cafe Nicholson and was known for her comfort food that was made with 'flourish'. Ms. Lewis passed away in 2006, but she accomplished her goal as stated in an interview with the New York Times in 1989: "As a child in Virginia, I thought all food tasted delicious. After growing, I didn't think food tasted the same, so it has been my life long effort to try and recapture those good flavors of the past."