Before Kenji and Deb, there was Lena

About this episode

This episode highlights the legacy of Lena Richard, an early African American television chef who rose to prominence before Julia Child.

Deb and Kenji are taking a break this week. Please enjoy this classic episode from our friends at Sidedoor, "America’s Unknown Celebrity Chef". For more information, visit Sidedoor's episode page , and subscribe to Sidedoor on your favorite podcast player . ****************************** When Lena Richard cooked her first chicken on television, she beat Julia Child to the screen by over a decade. At a time when most African American women cooks worked behind swinging kitchen doors, Richard claimed her place as a culinary authority, broadcasting in the living rooms of New Orleans’s elite white families. She was an entrepreneur, educator, author, and an icon – and her legacy lives on in her recipes. Today: her improbable rise to prominence, and her famous gumbo. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

People in this episode

Hosts: Deb Perelman, J. Kenji López-Alt

Topics covered

• culinary history
• African American chefs
• television cooking
• Lena Richard
• cooking legacy

Keywords

• Lena Richard
• Julia Child
• cooking
• gumbo
• television chef
• African American cuisine
• culinary authority

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Sidedoor

More episodes of The Recipe with Kenji and Deb

• Live from New York: Kenji guests on The Sporkful Live · April 13, 2026 · 42 min
• Mailbag Part 4 · June 23, 2025 · 12 min
• Burgers · June 9, 2025 · 40 min
• Mailbag Part 3 · May 26, 2025 · 15 min
• Eggs Benedict · May 12, 2025 · 34 min
• French Toast (with Christopher Kimball) · April 28, 2025 · 39 min