When it comes to learning how to cook, many of us often draw inspiration from family traditions, geographic location, cookbooks, television and more. Sometimes, those inspirations are less known than others. A new docuseries from VPM and Field Studio is exploring the life of a Virginia-born chef whose memory is kept alive by those that knew her best.
Finding Edna Lewis follows host and Style Weekly food editor Deb Freeman on a journey to uncover the life of an American icon. Audiences will hear from a different guest in each episode that cooks alongside Freeman, while also revealing an important aspect of Lewis’s life and legacy.
“Edna Lewis is a major figure in American culinary history and her fascinating story and contribution to how we look at Southern food is one that deserves to be celebrated and held in the same esteem as other chefs such as Julia Child,” said Freeman. “I am excited to bring her story to life through interviews from chefs and those who knew her alike.”
Lewis was born in the Virginia hamlet of Freetown and her legacy is felt throughout the country and American culinary history. She is known for introducing many Americans to seasonal cooking and helped to change perceptions of Southern food. Lewis’s contributions at noted restaurants in New York City, Georgia and South Carolina, and several bestselling cookbooks made Lewis a culinary star.
Starting on Friday, July 19, VPM will release one, seven-minute episode of Finding Edna Lewis each month through February 2025 (8 episodes total) on the VPM Culture YouTube page and VPM’s social media channels. Then, the episodes will be put into a one-hour special for television broadcast set to premiere at an in-person event and then on-air in February.
Finding Edna Lewis is produced VPM, and by Hannah Ayers and Lance Warren, the four-time Emmy-winning historical documentary filmmakers of Field Studio.
Learn more about Finding Edna Lewis in this press release and in this article from Style Weekly.
