Brooke Obie Celebrating New Orleans Icon Leah Chase at 95
From The Glow Up on The Root:
It’s dinnertime in the dining hall of the famous New Orleans soul food haven Dooky Chase’s Restaurant. Executive chef Leah Chase goes table to table with her walker, greeting and taking pictures with patrons who have come to dine on her world-famous fried chicken and gumbo.
The place is teeming with history; Dooky Chase’s sits in Tremé, the oldest black neighborhood in the country, and nearly 80 years after it opened in 1941, it’s still the place to be. Chase is as much of a reason for guests to come as her food.
Her 95th birthday was Jan. 6, arriving just as the city began celebrating its tricentennial. The culinary icon was just a few days shy of her own milestone when The Glow Up caught up with her.