ENROLLED
2019 Regular Session
HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 295
BY REPRESENTATIVES DUPLESSIS, ABRAHAM, ABRAMSON, ADAMS, AMEDEE,
ANDERS, ARMES, BACALA, BAGLEY, BAGNERIS, BARRAS, BERTHELOT,
BILLIOT, BISHOP, BOUIE, BOURRIAQUE, BRASS, CHAD BROWN, TERRY
BROWN, CARMODY, CARPENTER, GARY CARTER, ROBBY CARTER,
STEVE CARTER, CHANEY, CONNICK, COUSSAN, COX, CREWS, DAVIS,
DEVILLIER, DUBUISSON, DWIGHT, EDMONDS, EMERSON, FALCONER,
FOIL, FRANKLIN, GAINES, GAROFALO, GISCLAIR, GLOVER, GUINN,
JIMMY HARRIS, LANCE HARRIS, HENRY, HILFERTY, HILL, HODGES,
HOFFMANN, HOLLIS, HORTON, HOWARD, HUVAL, IVEY, JACKSON,
JAMES, JEFFERSON, JENKINS, MIKE JOHNSON, ROBERT JOHNSON,
JONES, JORDAN, LACOMBE, NANCY LANDRY, TERRY LANDRY,
LARVADAIN, LEBAS, LEGER, LEOPOLD, LYONS, MACK, MAGEE,
MARCELLE, MARINO, MCFARLAND, MCMAHEN, MIGUEZ, DUSTIN
MILLER, GREGORY MILLER, MOORE, JAY MORRIS, JIM MORRIS, MOSS,
MUSCARELLO, NORTON, PEARSON, PIERRE, POPE, PUGH, PYLANT,
RICHARD, SCHEXNAYDER, SEABAUGH, SIMON, SMITH, STAGNI,
STEFANSKI, STOKES, TALBOT, THOMAS, TURNER, WHITE, WRIGHT, AND
ZERINGUE
A RESOLUTION
To express sincere and heartfelt condolences upon the death of Leah Chase, executive chef
and co-owner of Dooky Chase's Restaurant in New Orleans.
WHEREAS, it was with deep regret and profound sorrow that the members of the
Louisiana House of Representatives learned of the passing of Leah Chase on June 1, 2019,
at the age of ninety-six; and
WHEREAS, lovingly referred to as the "Queen of Creole Cuisine", Leah Chase, a
Louisiana native and chef and co-owner of the nationally known Dooky Chase's, began her
career in the restaurant industry as a waitress at a French Quarter restaurant, where she
developed an appreciation for food; and
WHEREAS, shortly after marrying Edgar "Dooky" Chase, Jr., in 1946, Mrs. Chase
took command of the kitchen in the restaurant that her in-laws had opened in 1941 as a po-
boy shop; she helped to transform it into a white-tablecloth, destination restaurant; it was the
only establishment of its caliber where African Americans could eat in a legally segregated
city; and
WHEREAS, at a time when many doors were closed for African Americans, Dooky
Chase's was always open; it was a safe space and a welcoming environment; by the 1950s,
it became a meeting place for activists and civic leaders, both black and white, despite the
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fact that it was illegal for blacks and whites to eat in restaurants together; Leah Chase fed
the Freedom Riders and hosted meetings for the National Association for the Advancement
of Colored People (NAACP); and
WHEREAS, the haven she provided and the contributions she made were vital but
were not without consequences, as Dooky and Leah received threatening notes and their
restaurant was even bombed once; even after segregation laws were overturned, the Chase
family's restaurant served as a neutral ground; and
WHEREAS, Mrs. Chase authored a hearty collection of cookbooks, The Dooky
Chase Cookbook, And Still I Cook, and Down Home Health: Family Recipes of Black
American Chefs, and contributed to The Princess and the Frog: Tiana's Cookbook: Recipes
for Kids; Mrs. Chase was the inspiration for the first black Disney princess, Princess Tiana,
in the 2009 film "The Princess and The Frog", about a waitress in Louisiana who dreams of
becoming a restaurant owner; and
WHEREAS, Leah Chase fed Quincy Jones, Jesse Jackson, Duke Ellington, Thurgood
Marshall, James Baldwin, Ray Charles, President George W. Bush, and then-U.S. Senator
and presidential hopeful Barack Obama, who she reprimanded for adding hot sauce to her
famous gumbo before tasting it; and
WHEREAS, Mrs. Chase was a major supporter of cultural and visual arts; she
cultivated a renowned collection of African American art in her dining rooms; although the
restaurant flooded in Hurricane Katrina, one of the Chases' grandsons saved the art
collection, and it was reinstalled in time for the restaurant's reopening in 2007; and
WHEREAS, in 2012, the Chases formed the Edgar "Dooky" Jr. & Leah Chase
Family Foundation to support community groups; the foundation seeks to cultivate and
support organizations that work for the cultural arts, education, culinary arts, and social
justice; and
WHEREAS, in 2016, Leah Chase was honored by the New Orleans section of the
National Council of Negro Women for achievements, such as being a nationally recognized
culinary expert, a community activist, a lifetime board member of the New Orleans Museum
of Art, and a former board member of the New Orleans Symphony, the New Orleans Ballet,
the Urban League of Greater New Orleans, the Greater New Orleans Foundation, and the
Coalition of 100 Black Women; and
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WHEREAS, Leah Chase was the recipient of numerous notable honors and awards,
including the 1984 Candace Award granted by the Coalition of 100 Black Women, the 1985
Freedom Foundation Award, the 1986 Women in the Fore-Front Award, the 1987 Young
Leadership Council Role Model Award, the 1988 Beautiful Activist Award, the 1989 Anti-
Defamation League Torch of Liberty Award, the 1990 Human Understanding Award, the
1991 A. P. Tureaud Award of the NAACP, the 1992 Weiss Award of the National
Conference of Christians and Jews, the 1997 Times-Picayune Loving Cup Award, a 2000
Lifetime Achievement Award from the Southern Foodways Alliance, and the 2016 James
Beard Lifetime Achievement Award; she received honorary degrees from Dillard University,
Johnson & Wales University, Loyola University New Orleans, Madonna College, Our Lady
of Holy Cross College, and Tulane University; and
WHEREAS, Leah Chase was preceded in death by her husband of seventy years,
Edgar "Dooky" Chase, Jr., and daughter, Emily Haydel; she is survived by her daughters,
Stella Reese Chase and Leah Chase Kamata; son, Edgar "Dooky" Chase, III; sixteen
grandchildren; and twenty-eight great-grandchildren; and
WHEREAS, Leah Chase was a culinary legend and an unwavering advocate for civil
rights and full inclusion of all; she was a proud entrepreneur, a believer in the spirit of New
Orleans and the good will of all people, and an extraordinary woman of faith.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the House of Representatives of the
Legislature of Louisiana does hereby express sincere and heartfelt condolences upon the
death of Leah Chase, executive chef and co-owner of Dooky Chase's Restaurant in New
Orleans; does hereby recognize and record for posterity her outstanding achievements and
singular contributions in the culinary field, in the advancement of civil rights, and in life; and
does hereby extend true appreciation for her enduring legacy that will forever be a source
of deep pride and honor for her family, her friends, the staff and patrons of Dooky Chase's
Restaurant, the city of New Orleans, and the state of Louisiana.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
family of Leah Chase.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
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