JAMESTOWN— Jamestown Settlement will present “Finding Edna Lewis,” an Emmy award-winning PBS documentary, at 7 p.m. on Thursday, March 26, followed by a discussion with producer Deb Freeman about the famed chef’s legacy that delves into race, culture and food in Virginia and across the South.
From Freetown, Virginia, to New York City, Edna Lewis (1916-2006) carved a remarkable path as a pioneering African American chef, author and champion of Southern cuisine with influential cookbooks such as “The Taste of Country Cooking” (1976). Despite a life that included fame and acclaim, Lewis is not a household name.
In the documentary, writer and culinary historian Deb Freeman travels to the places where Lewis made her mark introducing many Americans to seasonal, Southern cooking and the cooking – the type of cooking in the Black community of rural Virginia that raised her. Following the film, Freeman will host a discussion delving into the intersections of race, culture, and food – especially in Virginia and across the South.
Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for college students with a valid ID. Tickets can be purchased online at jyfmuseums.org/finding-edna.