Ideas worth spreading

An interview with the Queen of Creole Cuisine

1,653,075 views | Leah Chase and Pat Mitchell • TEDWomen 2017

Leah Chase's New Orleans restaurant Dooky Chase changed the course of American history over gumbo and fried chicken. During the civil rights movement, it was a place where white and black people came together, where activists planned protests and where the police entered but did not disturb -- and it continues to operate in the same spirit today. In conversation with TEDWomen Curator Pat Mitchell, the 94-year old Queen of Creole Cuisine shares her wisdom from a lifetime of activism, speaking up and cooking.

Leah Chase's New Orleans restaurant Dooky Chase changed the course of American history over gumbo and fried chicken. During the civil rights movement, it was a place where white and black people came together, where activists planned protests and where the police entered but did not disturb -- and it continues to operate in the same spirit today. In conversation with TEDWomen Curator Pat Mitchell, the 94-year old Queen of Creole Cuisine shares her wisdom from a lifetime of activism, speaking up and cooking.

This talk was presented at an official TED conference. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.

About the speakers

Leah Chase

See speaker profile

Leah Chase spent seven decades serving her signature gumbo and hospitality to everyone from Martin Luther King Jr. to James Baldwin to Barack Obama.

Pat Mitchell

TEDWomen Editorial Director

See speaker profile

Pat Mitchell is a lifelong advocate for women and girls.

This talk was presented at an official TED conference. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.