Welcome to “ Vital Names,” a series of articles spotlighting influential chefs and culinary landmarks whose names are not as widely known as they should be, and whose impact on America’s foodways has been overlooked, misattributed or appropriated. Throughout June, to mark the world’s annual observation of Pride Month, we honor the LGBTQIA+ community.

Welcome to “ Vital Names,” a series of articles spotlighting influential Black chefs and landmarks whose names are not as widely known as they should be, and whose impact on the culinary world has been overlooked, misattributed or appropriated. The vital name in part four of the series celebrating Black History Month is Chef Leah Chase, a restaurant-owner, cookbook author and civil rights advocate from New Orleans, Louisiana.

Welcome to “ Vital Names ,” a series of articles spotlighting influential chefs and landmarks whose names are not as widely known as they should be, and whose impact on the culinary world has been overlooked, misattributed or appropriated. The vital name in part three of the series celebrating Black History Month is James Hemings, the first American to train as a chef in France and the enslaved chef de cuisine of Thomas Jefferson.

Welcome to “ Vital Names ,” a series of articles spotlighting influential chefs and landmarks whose names are not as widely known as they should be, and whose impact on the culinary world has been overlooked, misattributed or appropriated. The vital name in part two of our series celebrating Black History Month is Robert W. Lee, the World War II-era leader who mentored hundreds of next generation Black chefs.

Welcome to “ Vital Names,” a series of articles spotlighting influential chefs and landmarks whose names are not as widely known as they should be, and whose impact on the culinary world has been overlooked, misattributed or appropriated. The first vital name in the series celebrating Black History Month is Edna Lewis, a pioneer in farm-to-table cooking. In this article, we parse Debra Freeman's documentary "Finding Edna Lewis," and spotlight the inspirational Black chef.