Leah Chase, a New Orleans chef who created the city's first white tablecloth restaurant for African-American customers, died on Saturday at the age of 96.

Chase's family said in a statement that she was an "unwavering advocate for civil liberties” and “believer in the Spirit of New Orleans," according to The Associated Press.

“Her daily joy was not simply cooking, but preparing meals to bring people together,” the statement read. “One of her most prized contributions was advocating for the Civil Rights Movement through feeding those on the front lines of the struggle for human dignity.

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"She saw her role and that of Dooky Chase's Restaurant to serve as a vehicle for social change during a difficult time in our country's history."

Chase, who was born in Madisonville, La. during the Jim Crow era, became one of the most celebrated chefs in the South. She authored cookbooks and appeared on cook shows, the AP noted.

After marrying Edgar "Dooky" Chase Jr. in 1946, the two took over a sandwich shop named after her father-in-law, according to multiple reports. Leah Chase and her husband would turn it into a refined Creole restaurant that served athletes, tourists and musicians, among others.

She reportedly served a host of civil rights activists, including Thurgood Marshall and Martin Luther King Jr.

“I love people and I love serving people. It’s fun for me to serve people. Because sometimes people will come in and they’re tired. And just a little plate of food will make people happy,” she told the AP in 2015

In the 1960's, Leah Chase and her husband allowed their restaurant to be home to meetings focused on the civil rights movement. The two were breaking the law by allowing white and black individuals to dine in the same vicinity, the AP noted.

Leah Chase's food involved a Creole mixture of Spanish, French and African cultures that influenced New Orleans.