Celebrated New Orleans chef Leah Chase dies at 96

New Orleans chef and civil rights icon Leah Chase, who created the city's first white-tablecloth restaurant for black patrons, ignored city segregation laws and introduced countless tourists to Southern Louisiana Creole cooking, died Saturday at age 96.

Chase's family released a statement to news outlets Saturday night saying the "unwavering advocate for civil liberties" and "believer in the Spirit of New Orleans" died surrounded by family. "Her daily joy was not simply cooking, but preparing meals to bring people together," the statement read. "One of her most prized contributions was advocating for the Civil Rights Movement through feeding those on the front lines of the struggle for human dignity."