Biscuits with Nathalie Dupree

Remembering Nathalie.

photographer unknown

Biscuits are sacred to Southerners, a Southern staple that deserves a place of honor.

I don’t consider myself an authority but I was fortunate to have the late Nathalie Dupree as a mentor and friend while she lived in Charleston. Nathalie is the undisputed Grande Dame of Southern Cooking who sadly passed away on January 13 at the age of 85. A Southern-raised chef who wrote fifteen cookbooks, and hosted over three hundred cooking shows championed the cuisine and ingredients of her beloved South. While I was never one of her “chickens” “ her nickname for the many interns and students she mentored, I was lucky enough to be considered a friend for the past 15 years.

We met in the fall of 2010 while I was working on my first cookbook. She encouraged me to follow my passion for cooking and writing and embrace this new identity. When finally the book was ready, she wrote a lovely blurb for the dustjacket.