Buckhead Dinner Fundraiser Celebrates Legendary Southern Chef Saturday

Atlanta's true foodies will be out in full force on Saturday night for an event to celebrate a woman known for exquisite Southern fare and to delight in incredible meals made by some of the area's best chefs.

The second annual Edna Lewis dinner reception fundraiser will be held on Saturday at 6 p.m. at the City Club of Buckhead.

Edna Lewis is a well-known Southern chef who died in 2006 at the age of 89. The New York Times credited her with reviving “the nearly forgotten genre of refined Southern cooking while offering a glimpse into African-American farm life in the early 20th century.”

She is the granddaughter of an emancipated slave, who founded Freetown, VA where she was born in 1916. In her lifetime, she made a dress for Marilyn Monroe, worked in restaurants and wrote some of the most prominent cookbooks in modern times.

Her cookbooks include: The Edna Lewis Cookbook (1972), The Taste of Country Cooking (1976) and In Pursuit of Flavor (1988).  Among her many awards were: “Who’s Who in American Cooking,” (Cook’s Magazine, 1986); "Dr. Edna Lewis is lauded as one of the great women of American cooking. A specialist in Southern Cooking, She  received an honorary Ph.D. in Culinary Arts from Johnson & Wales University-Norfolk College of Culinary Arts, May 26, 1996"; “James Beard Living Legend Award” (their first such award, 1999), and being named “Grande Dame” (Les Dames d”Escoffier, 1999).

This year's reception will feature a "Bourbon Tasting" from Chef Art Smith and Mixologist Clay Livingston of Southern Art and Bourbon Bar. The tasting will entice guests to indulge in a well-cultivated selection of American bourbon offerings, while sipping on an array of Southern-inspired cocktails. 

All proceeds from the event benefit the Edna Lewis Foundation, dedicated to the study and preservation of African-American food tradition, and its programs.

Participating chefs are:

Chef Jennifer Booker, Your Resident Gourmet, Atlanta
Chef Darryl Evans, City Club of Buckhead, Atlanta
Chef Charlie Hatney, City Club of Buckhead, Atlanta
Chef Kevin Mitchell, Culinary Institute of Charleston, Charleston
Chef Duane Nutter, Lushlife Restaurant Group, Atlanta

 Chef Joe Randal, Chef Joe Randal’s Cooking School

Chef Todd Richards, The Shed at Glenwood, Atlanta

The cost per ticket is $125 and can be purchased on the Foundation's website.