Uploaded October 2021 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Smithsonian American Food History Project Intern, Sylvia Marshall, kicks off the “Wiki Focus: Black Women in Food History” Wikipedia edit-a-thon on July 27, 2021, with an interview with LaDeva Davis. Davis had her own program on PBS from 1975-1976 called, What’s Cooking? During the show, she prepared budget-friendly, highly nutritious meals that appealed to wide audiences. Her show became so popular that PBS broadcast it in over 100 locations across the country, making Davis one of the first Black women to have her own nationally syndicated public TV cooking show on PBS. During this question-and-answer session, Davis shares memories of her time as an early star in food television.
Honoring her role in food TV history, the museum included Davis’ image on the “TV Chefs Wall” in the FOOD: Transforming the American Table exhibition. A virtual companion exhibition can be viewed here: https://americanhistory.si.edu/food/julia-childs-kitchen/tv-chefs-1946-2018?mc_cid=f33d9225e7&mc_eid=5a6e7a7f77
Leadership support for FOOD: Transforming the American Table is made possible by Warren and Barbara Winiarski (Winiarski Family Foundation), Brewers Association, The Julia Child Foundation for Gastronomy and the Culinary Arts, Land O’Lakes Foundation, 2018 Food History Gala Supporters and History Channel.
Smithsonian American Food History Project Intern, Sylvia Marshall, kicks off the “Wiki Focus: Black Women in Food History” Wikipedia edit-a-thon on July 27, 2021, with an interview with LaDeva Davis. Davis had her own program on PBS from 1975-1976 called, What’s Cooking? During the show, she prepared budget-friendly, highly nutritious meals that appealed to wide audiences. Her show became so popular that PBS broadcast it in over 100 locations across the country, making Davis one of the first Black women to have her own nationally syndicated public TV cooking show on PBS. During this question-and-answer session, Davis shares memories of her time as an early star in food television.
Honoring her role in food TV history, the museum included Davis’ image on the “TV Chefs Wall” in the FOOD: Transforming the American Table exhibition. A virtual companion exhibition can be viewed here: https://americanhistory.si.edu/food/julia-childs-kitchen/tv-chefs-1946-2018?mc_cid=f33d9225e7&mc_eid=5a6e7a7f77
Leadership support for FOOD: Transforming the American Table is made possible by Warren and Barbara Winiarski (Winiarski Family Foundation), Brewers Association, The Julia Child Foundation for Gastronomy and the Culinary Arts, Land O’Lakes Foundation, 2018 Food History Gala Supporters and History Channel.
