The city of New Orleans is today mourning the death of Leah Chase, a world-renowned chef whose restaurant Dooky Chase’s became an icon for more than its food.

According to the Advocate, Chase died Saturday, June 1, at 96. A pioneer of Creole cooking who helped popularize New Orleans cuisine world over, Chase and her restaurant served as a favorite dining spot but also an important sanctuary during the Civil Rights movement.

“She saw her role and that of Dooky Chase’s Restaurant to serve as a vehicle for social change during a difficult time in our country’s history,” said the Chase family in a statement. “Throughout her tenure, Leah treasured all of her customers and was honored to have the privilege to meet and serve them.”

Known as “The Queen of Creole Cuisine,” Chase was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the James Beard Foundation in 2016. At the time, the organization celebrated Ms. Chase for her work alongside husband Edgar “Dooky” Chase Jr. in transforming his parents’ restaurant from “a sandwich shop, barroom, lottery ticket outlet, and neighborhood gathering place, into a sit-down restaurant wrapped within the cultural environment of Creole cooking, African-American art, and jazz.” They continued, saying:

 In a town deeply divided by segregation, Dooky Chase’s Restaurant, which is still open today, was one of the only public places in New Orleans where mixed race groups could meet to discuss strategy for the local Civil Rights Movement. The restaurant was the meeting ground for black voter registration campaign organizers, the NAACP, political activists, and countless others, and Leah Chase cooked for them all. Chase’s original dishes would help pioneer the Creole food movement, and her recipes for dishes like gumbo, jambalaya, and fried chicken have gone on to become kitchen staples.

Ms. Chase reportedly died surrounded by family. She will be greatly missed.