Edna Lewis Quotes

United States, Chef
April 13, 1916 – February, 13, 2006.

Edna Lewis (April 13, 1916 – February 13, 2006) was a renowned African-American chef, teacher, and author who helped refine the American view of Southern cooking. She championed the use of fresh, in season ingredients and characterized Southern food as fried chicken , pork, and fresh vegetables – most especially greens. She wrote and co-wrote four books which covered Southern cooking and life in a small community of freed slaves and their descendants.

Greens are a dish that most Southerners would walk a mile for.

Edna Lewis
- Dish
- Greens
- Southerners
One of the greatest pleasures of my life has been that I have never stopped learning about Good Cooking and Good Food.

Edna Lewis

Women didn't 'learn' how to cook - you were born knowing how.

Edna Lewis
- Women
- Learn
- Born
Over the years since I left home, I have kept thinking about the people I grew up with and about our way of life. I realize how much the bond that held us had to do with food.

Edna Lewis
- Food
- Grew Up
- Way Of Life
My mother died when I was 18. Up until then, I never saw a tin can in my house.

Edna Lewis
- House
- Died
- My Mother
The smell of coffee cooking was a reason for growing up, because children were never allowed to have it and nothing haunted the nostrils all the way out to the barn as did the aroma of boiling coffee.

Edna Lewis
- Reason
- Coffee
- Growing Up
Ham held the same rating as the basic black dress. If you had a ham in the meat house, any situation could be faced.

Edna Lewis