January 2023: AND STILL LEAH CHASE COOKS

©Julia Child. In Julia’s Kitchen with Master Chefs.

What do Ray Charles’ Early in the Morning, Princess Tiana from The Princess and the Frog, and Beyoncé’s Lemonade video share in spite of their release dates that have been gapped by decades? All three have been touched by the venerable presence of the late “Queen of Creole Cuisine”, Leyah “Leah” Lange Chase of New Orleans’ Dooky Chase’s Restaurant, which is why The Genius sang about grabbing a breakfast bite at the restaurant after waking up from a hangover, the Disney princess was a kitchen prodigy who aspired owning and running a restaurant, and Queen Bey was brushing Leah’s hair to evoke the beauty of black femininity. Because Leah will be 100 on January 6, The Kitchen Scholar is celebrating her life, spirit, and legacy this month by cooking some of her signature recipes that have put Louisiana Creole cooking in the cultural roadmap.