A book about a woman who first became known for her recipes and writing a cookbook many generations ago. She really was someone who put down on paper the way true American way of cooking. Here is a book of essays written by different people about her influence as a chef, author, or an activist. I really only knew the cooking part having a collection of cookbooks and have one that has some of her recipes in it. That was how I first heard about this amassing woman. I found this to be a very good book to read.

Unfortunately, I was unable to get into this title. It just wasn't a good fit for me. Thanks so much for the opportunity to read this title. I will not be posting a review online, in order not to skew the ratings.

I had heard of Edna Lewis through a food show (if I remember correctly), then was intrigued by her story. I read a bit more about her recipes and her influence on southern food, yet with this book by Ms. Franklin, I learned quite a bit more (Ms Lewis sewed for Marilyn Monroe - what?!) Stories told by people influenced by Ms Lewis (and including some recipes) this book is a lovely dedication to someone who may be a household name in many parts, but should be a name in so many more homes.

I included this title in a roundup of food-related books I was reading in April. I included thoughts about the book in that roundup. Link will be sent to the publisher under "feedback"

This book seeks to find the definition of Southern culture, Sara Franklin brings together a new set of perspectives on the late Edna Lewis. Edna Lewis treated her food, and the people who came to eat it with deep-boned respect. It is wonderful to read that respect being returned in kind by the food world, with homage paid to the African American chefs responsible for most of the Southern food-ways. It was a pleasant read.

Speaking through the voices of writers, chefs, food historians, friends and family, Sara Franklin brings together a new set of perspectives on the late Edna Lewis. Lewis’s own books are classics of the art of cooking and eating. Francis Lam, reflecting on the menus based on meals in Lewis’s home town of Freetown, Virginia, says “the very acts of cooking and serving and eating food are worthy of occasion. It is a story of refinement, not in the fine-china sense but in the sense of being meticulous and careful about the way the people of Freetown raised and grew and trapped and foraged and prepared their food, because their lives were worth that. The pleasure of that was due them.” Edna Lewis treated her food, and the people who came to eat it with deep-boned respect. It is wonderful to read that respect being returned in kind by the food world, with homage paid to the African American chefs responsible for most of the Southern food-ways.

The first half of the book is a collection of essays written by people who knew or met Lewis. The second half is a much more scholarly collection, focusing in on various aspects of Lewis’s family background, the culinary and botanical roots of Virginian cooking. While there are a few “Edna Lewis”-inspired recipes in this book, it is much more an opportunity to dive deeply into the life, times and legacy of a fascinating woman.

This book introduced me to Edna Lewis, chef extradinaire of Southern cooking, who died in 2006 but left an important legacy behind. There are a few recipes here but this isn't a cookbook. It contains various tributes and stories about Ms Lewis. I found the book interesting and generally quite a worthwhile tribute to an amazing pioneer in her field.
My thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

If you pick up this book expecting it to be a cookbook, you’ll be disappointed. Yes, there are some recipes, but they are superfluous to the story told here. Edna Lewis is the star, and food her supporting actors. This collection of essays and reminiscences about Lewis, who passed away in 2006 after decades of holding court as the Queen of Southern Cooking, is a beautiful testament to a woman who successfully introduced real Southern Cooking to the masses. Cooking in a time when food was “complicated,” Lewis made her mark and built her audience by staying true to simple recipes using the freshest ingredients. Along the way, she influenced countless chefs and cooks. This book collects their stories, each one unique and interesting. Recommended for curious cooks.

A wonderful tribute to a genius in her craft. One of the best in farm to table cooking this book is terrific.

Edna Lewis at the Table With an American Original 3.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Edna Lewis (1916-2006) wrote some of America's most resonant, lyrical, and significant cookbooks, including the now classic The Taste of Country Cooking. Lewis cooked and wrote as a means to explore her memories of childhood on a farm in Freetown, Virginia, a community first founded by black families freed from slavery. With such observations as "we would gather wild honey from the hollow of oak trees to go with the hot biscuits and pick wild strawberries to go with the heavy cream," she commemorated the seasonal richness of southern food. After living many years in New York City, where she became a chef and a political activist, she returned to the South and continued to write. Her reputation as a trailblazer in the revival of regional cooking and as a progenitor of the farm-to-table movement continues to grow. In this first-ever critical appreciation of Lewis's work, food-world stars gather to reveal their own encounters with Edna Lewis. Together they penetrate the mythology around Lewis and illuminate her legacy for a new generation.

The essayists are Annemarie Ahearn, Mashama Bailey, Scott Alves Barton, Patricia E. Clark, Nathalie Dupree, John T. Edge, Megan Elias, John T. Hill (who provides iconic photographs of Lewis), Vivian Howard, Lily Kelting, Francis Lam, Jane Lear, Deborah Madison, Kim Severson, Ruth Lewis Smith, Toni Tipton-Martin, Michael W. Twitty, Alice Waters, Kevin West, Susan Rebecca White, Caroline Randall Williams, and Joe Yonan. Editor Sara B. Franklin provides an illuminating introduction to Lewis, and the volume closes graciously with afterwords by Lewis's sister, Ruth Lewis Smith, and niece, Nina Williams-Mbengue.

I found the life of Edna Lewis fascinating, her quiet dignity, amazing knowledge and her master chef abilities all coming from a humble background.

EDIT: after much thought I should add that this book is better suited for the academia and scholars than your average reader looking to be introduced to Edna Lewis through the written word and stories of her life. I unfortunately am the average reader and struggled to finish this one.

This book touches on her life through the memories of others. Unfortunately the reader has a hard time unscrambling whose memory and place in time is being referenced.

All in all I enjoyed the book regardless that it was a slow, uneven read.

I received this book for free in exchange for my honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. Thank you NetGalley!

This book is a collection of essays about the wonderful Edna Lewis. My library has several copies of her cookbooks, and being from Virginia, I thought I knew a thing or two about Southern cooking, but I was wrong! This book offers background information about Miss Lewis that is sure to leave readers in awe of her. Miss Lewis rightfully deserves her place in culinary history!

Very good history on this amazing lady with a few recipes included. I found her story to be very interesting and the writing/research was outstanding. I have heard of Ms. Lewis and it was a treat to read her story. Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC of this book in return for my honest review.

Learned a lot about this interesting chef. Culinary wizard. Learned a lot but some of it is repetitive. Good book overall

This was positively delightful! Such a tribute to the woman, her food, and her culture. Superbly researched and written.