LaDeva Davis

LaDeva M. Davis (born in 1944) is a Philadelphia-based television host and food educator, who starred in the American public television series "What's Cooking?"[1] She was awarded the Mary McLeod Bethune Award in 2015.

LaDeva Davis
BornPhiladelphia 
Alma materPhiladelphia Musical Academy
OccupationCook, television presenter, teacher 

Education

Davis attended Germantown High School alongside Lola Falana and Judith Jamison.[2] She earned her Bachelor's degree in music education at the Philadelphia Musical Academy (now the University of the Arts) while studying piano with Natalie Hinderas.[2]

Teaching career

Davis first started teaching at the Bartlett Junior High (now the Academy at Palumbo) in 1965.[2][3] She taught at Bartlett for 12 years before becoming a core faculty member of the Philadelphia High School for the Creative and Performing Arts (CAPA) since its opening in 1978.[2][4] As CAPA's dance director and choreographer, Davis helped write the dance curriculum at the school.[3] Davis also planned "CAPA Kids" - a artistic showcase that is part of Philadelphia's annual Thanksgiving Day Parade.[2]

Davis has also been an associate in performance and dance instructor at Swarthmore College.[5][6]

"What's Cooking?"

Davis starred in "What's Cooking?," a nationally syndicated PBS cooking show that was first broadcast on January 21, 1975.[1][7][3][8][9] Davis was not a professional chef prior to the show but was recruited for her charisma and humor.[1][10] "What's Cooking?" was produced by Lynn Lonker and featured low cost, nutritional meals that could be made usually no more than $2.25.[1][11] On being the first African-American woman to have her own nationally syndicated public TV cooking show on PBS,[11] Davis said, "There was no black woman cooking [on TV]. There were no black cooks period."[12]

In 1976, she was a repeat guest on the American daytime talk show The Mike Douglas Show to demonstrate her cooking.[13][14]

Davis was featured in the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History's exhibit "Food: Transforming the American Table 1950-2000” exhibit.[11] Some of Davis' aprons are in the Smithsonian collections as well.[15]

Awards and Recognition

In 2015, Davis was awarded the National Council of Negro Women's Mary McLeod Bethune Award for leadership, excellence, and achievement in education.[16]

References
  1. Kennedy, Shawn G. (1976-03-26). "Everyone's in the Kitchen With La Deva". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-07-20.
  2. Roberts, Kimberly C. "LaDeva Davis to spotlight in July 4 parade". The Philadelphia Tribune. Retrieved 2021-07-20.
  3. Graham, Kristen (Dec 26, 2015). "An 'old school' treasure celebrates 50 years in Philly classrooms". Inquirer.com. Retrieved 2021-07-20.
  4. Writer, Chanel Hill Tribune Staff. "Students' love for the arts shines at CAPA". The Philadelphia Tribune. Retrieved 2021-07-21.
  5. AWMA, Jonathon C. Leise CFP (2016-04-26). Plan to Live Forever: Get Better with Age, Live a Life You Love, and Leave a Lasting Legacy. WestBow Press. ISBN 978-1-5127-3859-9.
  6. "LaDeva Davis". www.swarthmore.edu. Retrieved 2021-07-27.
  7. "TV Chefs, 1946-2018". National Museum of American History. 2013-06-28. Retrieved 2021-07-20.
  8. Media Report to Women. Women's Institute for Freedom of the Press. 1976.
  9. Smith, Andrew; Kraig, Bruce (2013-01-31). The Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America. OUP USA. ISBN 978-0-19-973496-2.
  10. Stewart, Claire (2017-04-01). As Long As We Both Shall Eat: A History of Wedding Food and Feasts. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-1-4422-5714-6.
  11. Bailey, Samaria. "LaDeva Davis part of 'Food' exhibit at Smithsonian". The Philadelphia Tribune. Retrieved 2021-07-20.
  12. Collins, Kathleen (2009-05-01). Watching What We Eat: The Evolution of Television Cooking Shows. Bloomsbury Academic. ISBN 978-0-8264-2930-8.
  13. "Sarasota Herald Tribune Archives, Feb 18, 1976, p. 18". NewspaperArchive.com. 1976-02-18. Retrieved 2021-07-28.
  14. "The Mike Douglas Show" Episode #15.218 (TV Episode 1976) - IMDb, retrieved 2021-07-28
  15. "Collections Search Results". National Museum of American History. Retrieved 2021-07-21.
  16. Clifford, Patricia. "National Council of Negro Women holds luncheon". The Philadelphia Tribune. Retrieved 2021-07-20.
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