Learn how Leah Chase used food and faith to promote social change

For more than 70 years, Leah Chase has been a New Orleans icon.

Narrated by journalist Michelle Miller, “Leah Chase: Queen of Creole Cuisine” comes to Arizona PBS on Sunday, April 7, at 3 p.m. The documentary chronicles humble beginnings of a young girl from Madisonville, Louisiana, and how she became one of the top, multi-award-winning chefs in the nation. For more than 70 years, Edgar “Dooky” Chase, Jr. and Leah Chase worked tirelessly together to uplift their family and their community through their faith and their active involvement in social justice.

The couple turned a family sandwich shop in Tremé to a famous, fine dining restaurant called Dooky Chase, filled with an impressive collection of Leah’s African American art by renowned artists like Jacob Lawrence and Elizabeth Catlett.

Weaving together archival photos and interviews with notable New Orleanians — including chef John Folse, the late restaurateur Ella Brennan, former First Lady of New Orleans Sybil Morial, Freedom rider Rudy Lombard, and Mayor Mitch Landrieu — the film is a tribute to Leah Chase that celebrates her faith, family and food.

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