A Homecoming for Chef Edna Lewis in Virginia

On a serene fall morning in Orange County, Virginia, low-hanging clouds drift over the vibrant orange and green hills of the Shenandoah Valley. The cool breeze does little to lessen the humidity, as dew clings to grass blades, glimmering in the sunlight while cars hum along nearby Highway 33.

Although the season has changed, it resembles the imagery described by the late chef Edna Lewis in her influential essay, “What Is Southern?” published in Gourmet. She wrote, “Southern is an early spring morning enveloped in a thick mist.” Her words, published in 2008, two years posthumously, encapsulate her deep understanding of Southern life, filled with vibrant memories of meals and gatherings, and her roots in Freetown, Virginia—a community established by formerly enslaved African Americans, including her grandfather.

Approximately thirty minutes away, Freetown now exists as a tranquil expanse of green pastures. Once a vibrant community, it is currently a working cattle farm, with only remnants of the family structures that once surrounded a central building. The old general store still stands at the edge of the 40-acre property. This year, a public marker from Virginia's Department of Historic Resources will acknowledge it as the former site of Freetown, the birthplace of Chef Edna Lewis, and part of the state’s newly established Edna Lewis Menu Trail—an overdue recognition.

Born on April 13, 1916, in Freetown, Edna Lewis moved to Washington, D.C., at 16, later relocating to New York City where she worked as a seamstress. Her culinary journey began when she partnered with a friend, Johnny Nicholson, and became the head chef at Café Nicholson in 1948, serving luminaries such as Truman Capote and Marlon Brando. By her passing in 2006, she had written four cookbooks, taught culinary classes, and even ran a pheasant farm in New Jersey (though without success).

Freetown finds its place in Edna Lewis’s second cookbook, The Taste of Country Cooking, published in 1976 when she was 60 and residing in New York City. This work is both a cookbook and a manifesto, chronicling her memories of Orange County, focusing on seasonal changes and holidays. Her goal was to tell the story of a community that had faded away. “We are now faced with picking up the pieces and trying to put them into shape, document them so the present-day young generation can see what Southern food was like,” she noted in 2006. “The foundation on which it rested was pure ingredients. . . . We grew the seeds of what we ate, we worked with love and care.”

In contemporary terms, “community” often refers to a group we can depend on during challenging and joyful times. However, Freetown, along with Lewis’s portrayal of it, offers a richer understanding. Community encompassed a connection with each other and nature, its seasons, and its abundance. Responsibilities such as childcare, growing, and harvesting produce, along with cooking, preserving, hunting, and butchering, were shared skills vital to the collective well-being.

Nevertheless, Freetown transcends a mere pastoral backdrop in The Taste of Country Cooking. “That book is also a robust challenge for Americans to confront the legacy of slavery,” states Sara B. Franklin, a writer, NYU professor, and editor of Edna Lewis: At the Table with an American Original. Freetown was among several communities in the county founded by formerly enslaved African Americans. The sharing of food, agricultural duties, and caregiving was essential for survival in a nation that posed great dangers to Black individuals. Yet, her words reflect a deep appreciation for Black life and cooking, shedding light on an often overlooked aspect of U.S. history. “She’s making a case for the beauty and richness of Black life independent of any white involvement,” Franklin adds. “Lewis’s work was about reclamation, not translation.”

Today, Edna Lewis is celebrated as a chef and author who documented and defined Southern cuisine; her contributions are acknowledged at the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C., recognizing her as a pillar of Black culture. However, her legacy remains largely unknown to many Americans, despite her narrative being intricately linked to the richness and creativity of Black Southern cooks.

On my drive from coastal Virginia to Orange County after Thanksgiving, I noticed the landscape shift from flat marshlands to the rolling hills of the Shenandoah Valley. After three days spent with family, I reflected on my Thanksgiving dinner. My father, who grew up in Virginia Beach, had never heard of Edna Lewis. Many of my relatives were similarly unaware. I pondered who gets celebrated in our history and culinary narratives. During culinary school, we focused on white male chefs and two prominent women—M.F.K. Fisher and Julia Child—whose stories shaped American food culture. While I appreciated their significance, I found it hard to relate to Fisher's memories of oyster feasts at boarding school or Julia's take on boeuf bourguignon. Those experiences felt distant. However, encountering The Taste of Country Cooking in my 20s made me recognize my privilege in having rich food memories from Virginia: late summer fish fries in my grandmother's backyard and chicken drumsticks coated in flour and fried in Crisco.

While driving, I imagined what dishes chef Lewis might serve for Thanksgiving and how they would compare to my own traditions. Interestingly, Thanksgiving wasn’t a celebration in Freetown. “Thanksgiving was a Yankee idea, you know, the Pilgrims and Plymouth Rock. In Freetown we just had a dinner,” she shared with the New York Times in 1992.

Even within the same state, regional variations influence what Virginians eat and the dishes that grace our tables. At my family gatherings in coastal Chesapeake, seafood is always a highlight: crab deviled eggs and oyster dressing, rich and fragrant with smoked oysters mixed in with celery and onions. In central Virginia, the emphasis shifts from seafood to the state’s famed ham, typically served with biscuits or crackers.

Reading Lewis made me realize the significance of those food memories in shaping our understanding of the culinary world. Her documentation allowed me to view my own story and my family's heritage as integral to American history, connecting me to a specific place in the nation.

In November 2022, Orange County launched the Edna Lewis Menu Trail, highlighting key locations from her life. This includes Bethel Baptist Church, where her grandfather and father were founders, the Orange African American Historical Society, and the James Madison Museum, which houses several artifacts from Lewis’s life, including a childhood chest of drawers and commemorative stamps. The trail also showcases seven local restaurants that offer dishes inspired by her culinary contributions. At Spoon & Spindle in Orange’s town center, diners can enjoy “Quail Lewis,” a roasted quail stuffed with wild rice and served with roasted Brussels sprouts, reflecting the flavors of fall in Orange County. “She brilliantly illustrated the sophistication of Southern cuisine,” says Zach Andrews, executive chef and partner at Spoon & Spindle, who grew up in nearby Charlottesville and has all her cookbooks. He keeps a copy of In Pursuit of Flavor, her 1988 release, in the kitchen for inspiration. “She was a pioneer in revitalizing Southern food, yet she doesn’t receive the recognition she deserves,” he adds. “She paved the way for Southern chefs.”

At Vintage Restaurant, diners can savor stewed braised rabbit, a fall favorite of chef Lewis; meanwhile, Cooper’s Cooking and Catering offers a deep-dish apple pie with nutmeg sauce inspired by Lewis’s recipe. Together, these dishes form a map of her impact on Virginia’s culinary scene for visitors who may be unfamiliar with her legacy. This was largely the intent, according to Julie Perry, assistant director of economic development and tourism for the Orange County tourism board.

“The Edna Lewis Menu Trail allows local chefs to honor Ms. Lewis’s legacy in the area where she grew up and honed her culinary skills, using the agriculture that inspired her and her family,” Perry explains, having collaborated with the Virginia Department of Historic Resources and the Orange County African American Historical Society to establish a historical marker to permanently commemorate her and share her story for generations to come.”

The Lewis family provided input during the creation of the trail and shared their insights, although they now primarily reside outside the area. This led me to reflect on the preservation of Black land ownership in Orange County. While savoring dishes at various trail restaurants, I pondered how the county supports Black women chefs in owning their establishments or authoring their own books. It seems like an essential part of the ongoing narrative.

While enjoying lunch at Spoon & Spindle, I glanced at the county’s promotional table talker for the Edna Lewis Menu Trail, featuring her silhouette and a QR code to explore her story further. It noted, “Lewis grew up in Freetown in Orange County before taking the New York City food scene by storm.” I flipped it over and set it back down. Throughout lunch, I observed other diners doing the same. “Some patrons are aware of Edna Lewis’s story, while others are not, so we’re glad to share it with them,” remarked manager and co-owner Shalese Higginbotham.

During my visit to the Edna Lewis Menu Trail, I took a detour to pay my respects at her family grave and see her headstone. A small, fenced-off area marked the Lewis family graves. I approached the headstone that read “Grand Dame of Southern Cooking” and paused in quiet reflection. After a moment, I expressed my gratitude to Lewis for her contributions.