I’ve been blessed to travel the world chasing flavors, wandering through markets, dining at fancy restaurants and eating at mom-and-pop food trucks. It makes me think of a woman who inspires me like no other: the great Creole chef Leah Chase. “In my dining room, we changed the course of America over a bowl of gumbo and some fried chicken,” she once said. I turned to her legacy for inspiration, motivated by how her restaurant helped shape the civil rights movement and sustained the community. To me, this is the spirit of true American food, which is more democratic than ever.

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Persons: I’ve, Leah Chase, Barack Obama, Dooky, “, Derrick Adams, Thelma Golden, Erick, Lee Anne Wong’s, —, Marcus Samuelsson Locations: Senegal, Spain, New Orleans, America, Chelsea, United States, Savannah, Chicago, Hawaii