10 African-American Chefs to Check out for Thanksgiving

Chef Joe Randall is famous as the founder of the Savannah Cooking School and as the author of bestselling books on African-American soul food.

Leah Chase is a highly acclaimed chef who has received many awards for her culinary skills, including the coveted Times Picayune "1997 Loving Cup Award" for public service. She has also been awarded a series of honors by the NAACP, the Weiss Award from the National Conference of Christians and Jews, the Torch of Liberty Award from the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith, the University of New Orleans' Entrepreneurship, Award and the Outstanding Woman Award from the National Council of Negro Women.

Sallie Ann Robinson is a celebrity chef and cultural historian who is among the last generation of individuals born on South Carolina's Daufuskie Island. She is an author of two best-selling books about traditional meals served on the island. She was also a student of famed author Pat Conroy and is featured in his book The Water Is Wide.

Many viewers of the Cooking Channel's hit show "Turn Up the Heat" are familiar with the master chef Gerry Garvins.

Edna Lewis was born on April 13, 1916, in Freetown, Virginia, and has been called "The Grand Dame of Southern Cooking". Until her death in 2006 at the age of 89, she was a favorite of such famous people as Tennessee Williams, Truman Capote, Richard Avedon, Gloria Vanderbilt, Marlene Dietrich, and Diana Vreeland.