CHEF VIRGINIA WILLIS comes to us from Atlanta, a French-trained, Southern belle who is an expert in the regional cuisine of the American South. A graduate of L'Academie de Cuisine and Ecole de Cuisine LaVarenne, Virginia is a chef, author, culinary television producer, and spokesperson. She has worked with and learned from such culinary luminaries as Nathalie Dupree and Anne Willan, and served as Kitchen Director for Martha Stewart Living Television where she supervised the food segments for the Emmy-award winning television show and prepared private meals and events for Martha and her guests -- including President Clinton, Aretha Franklin, and Julia Child.
Chef Virginia is the author of several cookbooks, including Bon Appétit, Y’all! Recipes and Stories from Three Generations of Southern Cooking, (which was rated one of the top three American Cookbooks of 2008 by the International Association of Culinary Professionals) and Basic to Brilliant, Y'all: 150 Refined Southern Recipes and Ways to Dress Them Up for Company (which was rated one of the top cookbooks of 2011.) Virginia was recently named by the Chicago Tribune as one of "Seven Food Writers You Need to Know."
