I mean, why not now?

Right.

You know, it's been long overdue for sure.

You know, and so there are so many documentaries about really wonderful chefs, but there are so many documentaries that still need to be made and so many stories that still need to be told, particularly in the African-American community.

And so really this documentary came about for me talking about this for years and saying, where's the Edna Lewis prestige series? Where's the Edna Lewis documentary? And someone finally was like, you know what? That might be a good idea.

And, you know, and I'm like, say less.

And so really it was off to the races to really try to pay the most... beautiful and gracious and respectful tribute to a woman who does not get her due, a woman who is a pioneer in the farm-to-table movement, a woman who really changes how Americans see Southern food and really, you know, in my opinion, speaks to how Black food is not monolithic.

Can you share some things that you learned that you didn't know about Edna Lewis in the process of making this

Was it the book in which you first encountered her? Like, what was the very first encounter that, like, stopped you in your tracks to say, "I need to learn more"?

For sure.

Yeah.

So, like, it was very soon after writing that first article that I talked to you about, about the woman who picked crab.

And so w- what went off in my mind was, what else don't I know? And so I literally did Google search of Virginia chefs.

Like, and her name came up, and I was like, "Who, who is this?" Like, I've never heard of this.

She's from Virginia as well.

... like, just the whole thing, to get the audio?

Mm-hmm.

When we talk about, um, or less than I should say, um, when we think about southern food and it's, there's so many different types, you know, based on region, um, of southern food and the way that folks eat, it is not just something greasy, something fried.

There are other components to it, um, and I think what Miss Lewis did really was show that it can be elegant, that it can be seasonal, that it can be, you know, vegetable-driven and not necessarily have to be kind of those stereotypes of, of what you think of when, when it comes to southern food.

Mm-hmm.

But that's really where she started to get a name for herself, um, and, you know, and in New York City she's becoming, you know, oh, this is the person you go to if you wanna have a good meal.

And, you know, in my mind that's incredible that in that day and time there's a Black woman who has a financial, you know, invested stake in a restaurant and is not just cooking for the restaurant.

Not to diminish that, but there's an additional piece of ownership that you don't often see.