In fact, the exact time and place of our first meeting are lost in time.
When I was asked to suggest another individual to speak, Leah was my first choice.
A decade later, I was a New Orleans homeowner.
For many years, Harris (left) visited Leah in the kitchen at Dooky Chase’s Restaurant.Credit: Cedric Angeles
(For much of Leahs life, she would not have been admitted through the front door.)
It was a night of celebration and remembrance.
Celebrations were the leitmotif of this phase of our friendship.
Dooky Chase’s Restaurant showcases Leah’s large collection of African American art.Credit: Robbie Caponetto
I even earned a nickname: Doctor Smart Mouth.
Jessica came and had a full-out party.
That hurricane changed Dooky Chases Restaurant and the city.
From left: Edgar L. “Dooky” Chase III, Stella Chase Reese, Edgar L. “Dooky” Chase IV, Tracie Haydel Griffin, and Leah Chase Kamata (seated) ensure Dooky Chase’s Restaurant remains as vibrant as their matriarch left it.Credit: Robbie Caponetto
The tight-knit Chase family saw homes destroyed and the restaurant overwhelmed by water.
But Leahs beloved art collection was saved, and the familythe heart and soul of this spotwas safe.
It was a time of struggle yet also a time of triumph for them.
Over the years, my Aunt Leah had morphed from being a local-restaurant powerhouse into a national culinary legend.
She had become a superstar.
She took it all in stride, delighting in her fame yet still remaining true to herself.
When he died in 2016, the winds in her sails were diminished and she felt his loss acutely.
Saying goodbye is always difficult.
The longer people are around, the more you think they will be there forever.
My legs hurt, Jess, she would say.
Daughter Stella Chase Reese had taken over the running of the front of the restaurant.
Wed also go out to dinner at places she liked or wanted to try.
As a dining companion, she was fascinating.
Her unending curiosity about the world meant she was captivated by new tastes and unusual menu items.
A Final Farewell
Illness had begun to make a relentless appearance.
Eventually, there was hospitalization.
Her family allowed me to visit and were kind enough to share their matriarch with me.
Our final meeting was at her sons home.
At one point, she said, This is hard, Jess!
I was too moved to reply.
The work is helmed by her children and undertaken by the fourth generation of the family.
My friend is gone, but the continuity is assured.
She grew up in a large Catholic Creole family with had 12 siblings.
This job was the start of a lifetime working in food.
Years later, Leah met and eventually married Edgar “Dooky” Chase II, a jazz musician.
After marring Edgar, Leah helped transform Dookie Chase’s into the elegant sit-down restaurant that still exists today.
She expanded the menu and hung paintings by African-American artists.
Over the years, the restaurant’s reputation grew, and so did Leah’s.
Leah passed away on June 1, 2019 at the age of 96.
