Chicago's Soul Food Queen was born in Chicago and learned to cook, literally, at her mother's knee. She stayed in the kitchen, holding on to her mother's apron, trying to peek at what my mother was doing. Mrs. Stewart opened the restaurant with her father, Sam Mitchell Sr., and then-husband Johnny Stewart. She used some of her mother's recipes and many of her own. She served all of the staples: famous biscuits, sweet potatoes, ham hocks and greens,and more old-school fare, such as brains and eggs. The restaurant started out inside a bowling alley and moved a few times, all within the same block, until it landed in its permanent home on West Madison. Mrs. Stewart's restaurant, Edna's Restaurant at 3175 W. Madison, has been churning out flaky biscuits, delectable fried chicken and other soul food delights since 1966. She was always one to help the next person. People coming home from the penitentiary, on work release, she hired them. When Dr. King brought his activism to Chicago, renting a slum apartment to shed light on the miserable living conditions of many low-income blacks, he was a regular at Edna's. She not only provided food to hungry civil rights workers and their leaders, but her restaurant served as an unofficial meeting and organizing ground for the community. This year, Gov. Quinn declared Feb. 19 to be Edna Stewart Day. She left behind a lasting legacy of culinary talent, gracious hospitality and quiet, effective community service. In addition to her son and brother, Mrs. Stewart is survived by her daughter, Marguerite Banks, and sisters Alice McCommon and Judy Mitchell-Davis.
Chicago's Soul Food Queen was born in Chicago and learned to cook, literally, at her mother's knee. She stayed in the kitchen, holding on to her mother's apron, trying to peek at what my mother was doing. Mrs. Stewart opened the restaurant with her father, Sam Mitchell Sr., and then-husband Johnny Stewart. She used some of her mother's recipes and many of her own. She served all of the staples: famous biscuits, sweet potatoes, ham hocks and greens,and more old-school fare, such as brains and eggs. The restaurant started out inside a bowling alley and moved a few times, all within the same block, until it landed in its permanent home on West Madison. Mrs. Stewart's restaurant, Edna's Restaurant at 3175 W. Madison, has been churning out flaky biscuits, delectable fried chicken and other soul food delights since 1966. She was always one to help the next person. People coming home from the penitentiary, on work release, she hired them. When Dr. King brought his activism to Chicago, renting a slum apartment to shed light on the miserable living conditions of many low-income blacks, he was a regular at Edna's. She not only provided food to hungry civil rights workers and their leaders, but her restaurant served as an unofficial meeting and organizing ground for the community. This year, Gov. Quinn declared Feb. 19 to be Edna Stewart Day. She left behind a lasting legacy of culinary talent, gracious hospitality and quiet, effective community service. In addition to her son and brother, Mrs. Stewart is survived by her daughter, Marguerite Banks, and sisters Alice McCommon and Judy Mitchell-Davis.
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
Records on Ancestry
Advertisement
