Joe Randall, who is known as “Chef Joe” and the “Dean of Southern Cuisine” has passed away at the age of 79.
The news was announced by his daughter, Cari Randall, in a post on Facebook.
“My Dad was a giant among men (and women),” she wrote (per Penn Live), adding that her father was the “man, the myth, and the legend. A husband, a father, a friend, a mentor, and so much more. He can now take his well-deserved rest.
Tributes Pour In For ‘Chef Joe’
“Saying goodbye to Chef Joe Randall feels unreal,” one person posted on Instagram. “How do you thank someone enough for planting his feet firmly in Savannah’s food scene—and for raising up generations of chefs behind him? From his care and culinary craft to his lasting business footprint across our community, including Downtown Savannah, Chef Joe was truly an icon… His legacy will live on in every chef he mentored, every table he inspired, and every meal that brings Savannah together.”
“I had the pleasure of meeting Chef Joe Randall “The Dean of Southern Cooking )when I was in college in Baltimore; I was so impressed with him I changed my career path and became a Chef,” another person shared. “We kept in contact and he mentored me through out my career path. Chef will truly live on with the many recipes he shared. Rest in paradise my dear friend 🙏🏽🙏🏽❤️”
“This weekend the culinary world lost a legend,” The Edna Lewis Foundation wrote. “Chef Joe Randall was more than a chef-he was a teacher, a mentor, and historian who was a champion for African-American foodways. Randall founded the Edna Lewis Foundation because he recognized the need to celebrate Black chefs and the important work they were doing to keep Black traditions alive through food. He believed in the power of connection by making sure chefs were in community with each other, and he became a friend to so many in hospitality. Even in his passing he continues to be a North Star for new and established chefs alike. We send our love to his wife Barbara and his three children, and honor his legacy and commitment to his craft.”
Joe Randall’s Cookbook Was Inducted Into James Beard Foundation’s Cookbook Hall of Fame
In 1998, Randall published a cookbook with Toni Tipton-Martin called, “A Taste of Heritage: The New African American Cuisine,” which “showcase the rich heritage of African-American cooking in this authentic collection of 300 recipes.”
The book’s impact continued to grow and two decades after it was released, the cookbook was inducted into the James Beard Foundation’s Cookbook Hall of Fame.
