As we celebrate Black History Month, we're debuting our new entry on the legendary chef Edna Lewis, who hailed from Orange County. Lewis almost single-handedly introduced the culinary world to the treasures of Southern cooking with her "Virginia-style French" cuisine, and she had a profound influence on the farm-to-table movement that exploded in the early 1970s. Alice Waters, who opened the pioneering farm-to-table restaurant Chez Panisse in 1971, told the New York Times that Lewis “showed the deep roots of gastronomy in the United States and that they were really in the South … I learned from her that [Southern food] is completely connected to nature, totally in time and place."
Read on to learn about more Black pioneers in Virginia's history, and when you're done, be sure to play our exclusive Virginia History Timeline Game: Black History Month Edition.
Edna Regina Lewis was a celebrated Black chef, food writer, and champion of Southern cuisine from Orange County. Born in Freetown on April 13, 1916, the granddaughter of enslaved people, Lewis learned to cook from family members who used fresh, seasonal ingredients. Her groundbreaking book, The Taste of Country Cooking (1976), combined recipes with reminiscences of rural Black life in early-twentieth-century Virginia.
Cesar Tarrant was a pilot in the Virginia Navy during the American Revolution (1775–1783), one of many Black mariners who served on both sides of the conflict. He steered the Patriot during an action against a British privateer off the Virginia Capes in 1778 and helped capture the brig Fanny, laden with stores intended for British troops. Naval veterans testified to his gallantry. After the war, Cesar Tarrant was returned to his enslaver, but the General Assembly freed Tarrant in 1789 in recognition of his service. His wife, Lucy, and daughter, Nancy, were freed in 1793. He purchased a lot in Hampton and
built a home for himself and the free members of his family.
William “Billy” Flora was a free Black soldier in Patriot service during the American Revolution (1775–1783). Flora was the hero of the Battle of Great Bridge, where he reportedly single-handedly held off advancing British troops under a hail of bullets. Flora served in the Continental Army through the Battle of Yorktown. After the war, Flora accumulated substantial wealth as the owner of a livery stable and freight-hauling business in Portsmouth and was one of the first free Black men in Virginia to buy property there.
Did you miss our February EntryPoint with folklorists Daniel Bachman and Aldona Dye and special guest ballader Elizabeth LaPrelle discussing the life and legacy of Texas Gladden? You can catch the replay here.
He was a spy, propagandist, and diplomat who played a critical role during the American Revolution, yet Arthur Lee remains unheralded among Revolutionary figures.
Join Encyclopedia Virginia Managing Editor Patti Miller and Gordon Blaine Steffey of Stratford Hall to discover the fascinating life of Arthur Lee. Co-sponsored by Stratford Hall.
VH is seeking educators to join our K-12 Fellowship scheduled to begin in March 2026. Virginia Humanities' K-12 Educator Fellowships support educators from around Virginia who are committed to teaching the humanities for primary and secondary school students. Fellows receive a $4,250 stipend. We are also seeking one educator for the Encyclopedia Virginia K-12 Fellowship (with an additional $500 stipend) to incorporate EV content in their learning experience.
The Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Scholars Fellowship seeks to develop and amplify underrepresented voices and research within the academy and applied humanities spaces. This fellowship helps HBCU-affiliated writers, community scholars, and faculty members with their research process through funding, access to academic publishing outlets (journals and presses), public promotion of their work, and professional community/peer support.
