Southern Cooking Icon Nathalie Dupree Dies at 85 | Eater Atlanta

"Opened in the back of an antique store in Covington, Georgia — a spot frequented by Atlantans — this namesake restaurant grew out of the chef’s early European training and her focus on Southern ingredients. Drawing on her time working in a kitchen in Spain and her Le Cordon Bleu certification in London, she became known for applying French cooking techniques to Southern comfort foods. Chef Suvir Saran captured the emotional impact of her cooking, writing, "[her restaurant] food wasn’t just food; it was heart and soul on a plate." Her practical lessons and distinctive approach to technique also lived on in simple rules like the "pork chop theory" — "one chop in a pan dries out, but two or more cook in their collective fat, staying juicy and tender." - Henna Bakshi