Nathalie Dupree was a chef and author who helped elevate Southern cuisine as the host of such TV shows as “New Southern Cooking with Nathalie Dupree” on PBS.
- Died: January 13, 2025 (Who else died on January 13?)
- Details of death: Died in Raleigh, North Carolina at the age of 85.
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Nathalie Dupree’s legacy
After growing up in the South, Dupree spent some years in London in the 1960s, where she studied at the famed culinary school Le Cordon Bleu. Later, back in the U.S., she opened the restaurant Nathalie’s in Georgia. Depree then worked as an instructor and the director of the cooking school she founded at Atlanta’s Rich’s department store before getting her big break.
In 1986, Dupree began hosting “New Southern Cooking with Nathalie Dupree” on PBS, and that same year, she published her landmark cookbook, “New Southern Cooking.” The show and book combined to bring Southern cuisine to a wider audience, demonstrating that there was much more to it than biscuits and grits — although Dupree proudly cooked both of those staples. She didn’t offer a snooty, hard-to-achieve haute cuisine; instead, she offered flavorful dishes that home chefs could replicate.
“New Southern Cooking” was one of more than a dozen cookbooks authored or co-written by Dupree, a list that includes “Southern Biscuits,” “Mastering the Art of Southern Cooking,” and “Nathalie Dupree Cooks Great Meals for Busy Days.” In addition to her many influential books, Dupree also became known for TV appearances far beyond her debut show. She also hosted programs on the Food Network and the Learning Channel, plus made regular appearances on “Today” and “Good Morning America.” A three-time James Beard Award winner, Dupree was also a grande dame of the organization of women chefs, Les Dames d’Escoffier.
Dupree’s “pork chop theory”
“The most important thing is for women to learn to help each other. So we developed the pork chop theory. One pork chop in the pan goes dry. Two or more, the fat from one feeds the other. We need to find a way to elevate two or more women at a time. I just want those women to be able to have their place in the sun.” — from a 2018 interview for Southern Foodways
Tributes to Nathalie Dupree
Full obituary: The Post and Courier
