WYES INVITES VIEWERS TO TASTE THE STORY OF DOOKY CHASE’S RESTAURANT IN A NEW COOKING SERIES
WYES celebrates Leah Chase, the “Queen of Creole Cuisine,” in a cooking series featuring members of the legendary chef’s family.
THE DOOKY CHASE KITCHEN: LEAH’S LEGACY series was shot on location in the Dooky Chase kitchen with dishes prepared by younger generations of the Chase family who have led the restaurant since Leah’s death in 2019. In 26 themed episodes viewers will meet Leah’s grandson, Edgar “Dook” Chase IV, who now oversees the restaurant’s kitchen; her niece Cleo Robinson, who joined Leah in the kitchen in 1980; and the restaurant’s newest chef, Leah’s great-granddaughter Zoe Chase. Paired with some of the menus are specialty cocktails crafted by Leah’s granddaughter Eve Marie Haydel, the restaurant’s beverage manager who has updated drink recipes from the restaurant’s earlier days. Granddaughter Chase Kamata narrates.
Each program in the 26-part cooking series will explore a different chapter of the restaurant’s history. On an episode about distinguished guests, the Chase chefs will share a recipe for Grits and Quail that Leah served at the restaurant in 2008 to President George W. Bush during a North America Leaders’ Summit. On another episode the restaurant’s significant place in the history of the Civil Rights Movement is commemorated with preparation of Creole Gumbo, a dish Leah served to Martin Luther King Jr. and other social activists when they held strategy sessions in the restaurant’s upstairs dining room in the 1960’s. Today Dooky Chase remains a crossroads of culture and community, where gumbo is still a favorite of customers from all walks of life.
The series will also demonstrate a new take on Creole classics being introduced at the restaurant. Dishes like Lamb Chops with Mint Glaze, and Fish Cakes with Citrus Beurre Blanc reflect the professional training of Chef Dook, who has a diploma from the Cordon Bleu in Paris, and Chef Zoe, who is a graduate of the New Orleans Culinary and Hospitality Institute (NOCHI).
For her work in the culinary arts and for her many acts of kindness, Leah Chase earned numerous accolades, including the 2016 James Beard Lifetime Achievement Award. A painting by Gustave Blache III of Leah at work in the Dooky Chase kitchen is on display in the National Portrait Gallery of the Smithsonian, where she takes her place alongside other Americans recognized for their character and achievement.
Leah continues to inspire people through food that is now prepared by those who carry on her unwavering commitment to the people of New Orleans. Dook Chase speaks for the family when he says, “My grandmother’s motto that she lived by was ‘pray, work and do for others.’ That was a seed planted into us and what we continue to live by.”
Executive Producer
Jim Moriarty
Producer/Director
Terri Landry
Associate Producer
Dawn Smith
Video Editor
Lenny Delbert Sr.
Music
Jep Epstein
# # #
ABOUT WYES:
WYES is the storyteller for New Orleans, southeast Louisiana and the Mississippi Gulf Coast. For 66 years, WYES has earned a reputation for quality PBS programming, award-winning local documentaries and cooking series. Thank you for making WYES a vital source of education, information, and entertainment – on air and online. For more information, call (504) 486-5511 or visit wyes.org. Like us on Facebook (wyes.neworleans). Follow us on Twitter (@WYESTV) & Instagram (wyestv).
ABOUT APT:
American Public Television (APT) is the leading syndicator of high-quality, top-rated programming to the nation’s public television stations. Founded in 1961, APT distributes 250 new program titles per year and more than one-third of the top 100 highest-rated public television titles in the U.S. APT’s diverse catalog includes prominent documentaries, performance, dramas, how-to programs, classic movies, children’s series and news and current affairs programs. Midsomer Murders, America’s Test Kitchen, AfroPoP, Rick Steves’ Europe, Pacific Heartbeat, Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street Television, The Indian Doctor, Legacy List with Matt Paxton, Lidia’s Kitchen, Kevin Belton’s New Orleans Kitchen, Simply Ming, The Best of the Joy of Painting with Bob Ross, Front & Center, James Patterson’s Kid Stew and NHK Newsline are a sampling of APT’s programs, considered some of the most popular on public television. APT also licenses programs internationally through its APT Worldwide service and distributes Create®TV — featuring the best of public television’s lifestyle programming — and WORLD™, public television’s premier news, science and documentary channel. To find out more about APT’s programs and services, visit APTonline.org.