Chase was honored by the National Restaurant Association
April 17 in DC as one to celebrate for achieving the American Dream in the
restaurant industry. Overcoming extreme
obstacles through the Civil Rights Movement, many people of different
ethnicities found solace, a hot meal and kind words at Leah’s Dooky Chase Restaurant.
Leah Chase and daughter Stella Reese following Chase's American Dream Award acceptance speech April 17. |
During her career, she has fed U.S. Presidents, dignitaries and
served her community on countless boards to further education, arts and the
restaurant industry. She’s come to the aid of others during their time of need and
the industry has rallied around her during her time of struggle.
“Katrina really did a number on the restaurant and the
community that surrounds it,” she recalls. “The number of restaurateurs, chefs
and companies that came to my aid was truly remarkable. There’s no way I’ll
ever be able to repay them for their generosity and kindness.”
U.S. Rep. Cedric Richmond presented Chase with the American
Dream Award at the Gala during the 2012 NRA Public Affairs Conference. In
addition to the award, a $2,500 scholarship was given to a student in her
honor.
Her tell it like it is style has only gotten more pointed as
she’s gracefully aged. During a call with NRA Senior Director of Community Relations Alyssa Prince following
the evening’s events, she laughed as she shared Chase’s comments during the
Gala rehearsal.
“We were on stage and I asked her if she’d like a podium, a
handheld or a lavaliere microphone,” said Prince. “She looked at me seriously
and said, ‘what’s all the fuss? It’s not like I’m giving a sermon’.”
In 2009, when her restaurant reopened following Hurricane
Katrina, the LRA was at the Holy Thursday lunch where she welcomed hundreds of
diners into the newly-renovated restaurant and served her famous Gumbo Z’herbes
and bread pudding.
“We brought her an LRA logo for her front door and she
pealed the back and placed it right on her chef coat,” said Wendy Waren, Louisiana Restaurant Association (LRA) VP
of Communications. “The next day she was on the cover of the Times-Picayune
smiling from ear to ear with her LRA logo over her heart.”
Later that year, she was named the LRA’s Restaurateur of the
Year. To get her to the Gala, she was told that the LRA would be honoring ChefJohn Folse, a close, personal friend of Chase’s and she had to be there.
“When the announcement was made she looked at me with the ‘you
got me’ expression,” said Waren. “It was a great moment in Louisiana’s culinary
history and she truly deserves the American Dream Award.”
With the countless awards and honorary degrees she’s
received, her style remains no fuss. She’s diligent, serious and has more
stories about the times and challenges of New Orleanians, Louisiana and the
struggles of the scores of people she’s encountered. She is a true treasure of
an individual, restaurateur and member of her community.
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