1892–1950
In the deep South during the Jim Crow era, when opportunities for Black women were scarce, Lena Richard carved her own path, with a wooden spoon and unshakable determination.
Born in New Orleans in 1892, Lena began cooking as a young girl, learning in the kitchens where her mother worked. Her natural talent quickly shone. She studied at the famous Fannie Farmer Cooking School in Boston, then returned home to teach others what she had learned.
Lena opened a cooking school for Black students, started a catering business, and later ran several successful restaurants in New Orleans. In 1939, she self-published Lena Richard’s Cookbook, one of the first Creole cookbooks written by an African American chef.
A decade later, she broke barriers again. In 1949, Lena Richard became the first Black woman in the United States to host her own television cooking show, Lena Richard’s New Orleans Cook Book, sharing her love of Creole cuisine with homes across America.
Her warmth, skill, and confidence made her a pioneer, not just in the kitchen, but on television, where she showed the world what was possible even in the face of segregation.