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A seamstress by trade, Lewis was known for her exquisite dresses, both for "society ladies" such as Dorcas Avedon (then wife of famed photographer Richard Avedon) and Marilyn Monroe, but became known even better for her African-themed dresses. Later she turned her love of cooking into a new career: she became a chef at a New York restaurant, which became a hit. She stayed on for several years before quitting to work on her farm. After breaking her leg in the 1970s, she spent her time writing, putting down her recipes and thoughts about Southern-style cooking. The Edna Lewis Cookbook was her first effort. Her second, The Taste of Country Cooking, published in 1976, "may well be the most entertaining regional cookbook in America" said a New York Times book critic. Her cookbooks "revived the nearly forgotten genre of refined Southern cooking while offering a glimpse into African-American farm life in the early 20th century," the Times said. With her new-found popularity as a cookbook author, Lewis went back to restaurant work and later founded the Society for the Revival and Preservation of Southern Food. In 1999 the Southern Foodways Alliance gave her its first lifetime achievement award. Miss Lewis, as she liked to be called, died at her Georgia home in her sleep on February 13. She was 89.
From This is True for 12 February 2006
Suggestions for further reading:
The Gift of Southern Cooking: Recipes and Revelations from Two Great American...
by Edna Lewis, Scott Peacock
Amazon Price: $21.45
Customer Review: This is more than a cookbook. The narratives are as interesting as the recipes. The deviled egg recipe is the BEST I ever tasted and my family agrees.
The Taste of Country Cooking: 30th Anniversary Edition
by Edna Lewis
Amazon Price: $16.29
Customer Review: Here Ms. Edna Lewis gives fascinating recollections of her childhood on a country farm, complete with recipes. What I liked best about this book was how the recipes were arranged by season and by meal, so that you can get a sense of what was eaten wh...
In Pursuit of Flavor (The Virginia Bookshelf)
by Edna Lewis
Amazon Price: $12.89
Customer Review: If you want the tastes of rural Virginia back in the day, read this book. I spent a lot of time growing up in the nearby area between Richmond and Williamsburg (both my parents were born in the land where George met Martha and before that Pocohantas...
The Book of Halloween
by Ruth Edna Kelley
Amazon Price:
Customer Review: I bought this book for the projects I do in my classroom close to Halloween. It is already peaking interest on my desk along with other books dealing with Halloween.
Bring Me Some Apples and I'll Make You a Pie: A Story About Edna Lewis
by Robbin Gourley
Amazon Price: $12.48
Customer Review: The story is inspired by the life of chef and cookbook author Edna Lewis, with inspiration from the author's own childhood. The story takes us from the first call of the whippoorwill in spring through the last harvest before the winter. I like the ...
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