Willie Mae Seaton, the founder and longtime owner/operator of iconic New Orleans restaurant Willie Mae’s Scotch House, has has died. She was 99.

NOLA.com / The Times Picayune reports that Seaton’s granddaughter, Kerry Seaton-Stewart, has confirmed her grandmother’s passing. Seaton-Sewart took over the restaurant in the years followting Hurricane Katrina.

Seaton, a native of Crystal Springs, MS, moved to New Orleans during World War 2 and opened her bar at St. Ann and North Tonti St. in 1957. The location began offering full restaurant service in 1972, after the beauty parlor and barbershop that shared the building closed down. Over the years, the establishment developed a reputation for its local food offerings, particularly its fried chicken.

While the original restaurant, which picked up a James Beard Foundation award in 2005, was severely damaged by Hurricane Katrina, Seaton and her family returned to the city to rebuild with the help of the southern Foodways Alliance. Willie Mae’s has since expanded, with another outpost, dubbed Willie Mae’s Grocery and Deli, planting its roots Uptown in 2014.

Last year, in anticipation of Seaton’s 100th birthday, the New Orleans City Council proclaimed February 6 “Willie Mae Seaton Day.”