LaDeva M. Davis (1944 – September 8, 2022) was an American television presenter and food educator who starred in the American

public television Public broadcasting involves radio, television and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service. Public broadcasters receive funding from diverse sources including license fees, individual contributions, public financing ...

series ''What's Cooking?'' She was the first African-American woman to have her own nationally syndicated public TV

cooking show A cooking show, cookery show, or cooking program (also spelled cooking programme in British English) is a television genre that presents food preparation, often in a restaurant kitchen or on a studio set, or at the host's personal home. Ty ...

in the United States on the

Public Broadcasting Service The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educati ...

. She was awarded the

Mary McLeod Bethune Mary Jane McLeod Bethune ( McLeod; July 10, 1875 – May 18, 1955) was an American educator, philanthropist, humanitarian, Womanism, womanist, and civil rights activist. Bethune founded the National Council of Negro Women in 1935, established th ...

Award in 2015.

Education

Davis attended Germantown High School in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, alongside

Lola Falana Loletha Elayne Falana or Loletha Elaine Falana (born September 11, 1942), better known by her stage name Lola Falana, is an American singer, dancer, and actress. Early life Lola Falana was born in Camden, New Jersey. She was the third of si ...

and

Judith Jamison Judith Ann Jamison (pronounced JAM-ih-son) (born May 10, 1943) is an American dancer and choreographer. She is the artistic director emerita of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Early training Judith Jamison was born in 1943 to Tessie Brown Ja ...

. 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 Natalie Leota Henderson Hinderas (June 15, 1927 – July 22, 1987) was an American pianist, composer and professor at Pennsylvania's Temple University. Hinderas was born in Oberlin, Ohio to a musical family. Her father (Abram) was a jazz piani ...

Teaching career

Davis first started teaching at Bartlett Junior High (now the

Academy at Palumbo The Academy at Palumbo, formerly known as Bartlett School and Frank C. Palumbo Junior High School, is a historic school building located in the Bella Vista neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is part of the School District of Philadel ...

) in 1965. She taught at Bartlett for 12 years before becoming a core faculty member of the

Philadelphia High School for the Creative and Performing Arts The Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts, commonly known as CAPA, is a magnet school in South Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, at the edge of the Christian Street Historic District. It is a part of the School Distri ...

(CAPA) since its opening in 1978. As CAPA's dance director and choreographer, Davis helped write the dance curriculum at the school. Davis also planned "CAPA Kids" – an artistic showcase that is part of Philadelphia's annual Thanksgiving Day Parade. Among the students that she mentored at CAPA included the members of

Boyz II Men Boyz II Men (pronounced ''boys to men''), also known as B2M, is an American vocal harmony group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, best known for emotional ballads and a cappella harmonies. They are currently a trio composed of baritone Nathan M ...

. Davis was also an associate in performance and dance instructor at

Swarthmore College Swarthmore College ( , ) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1864, with its first classes held in 1869, Swarthmore is one of the earliest coeduca ...

''What's Cooking?''

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

n TV N, or n, is the fourteenth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''en'' (pronounced ), plural ''ens''. History ...

There were no black cooks period." In 1976, she was a repeat guest on the American daytime talk show ''

The Mike Douglas Show ''The Mike Douglas Show'' was an American daytime television talk show that was hosted by Mike Douglas. It began as a local program in Cleveland before being carried on other stations owned by Westinghouse Broadcasting. The show went into nati ...

'' to demonstrate her cooking. Davis was featured in the Smithsonian Institution's

National Museum of American History The National Museum of American History: Kenneth E. Behring Center collects, preserves, and displays the heritage of the United States in the areas of social, political, cultural, scientific, and military history. Among the items on display is t ...

's exhibit "Food: Transforming the American Table 1950–2000" exhibit. Some of Davis' aprons are in the Smithsonian collections as well.

Awards and recognition

In 2015, Davis was awarded the

National Council of Negro Women The National Council of Negro Women (NCNW) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1935 with the mission to advance the opportunities and the quality of life for African-American women, their families, and communities. Mary McLeod Bethune, the f ...

's Mary McLeod Bethune Award for leadership, excellence, and achievement in education.

Death

Davis died on September 8, 2022, after having a stroke.

References

External links

* *
Wiki Focus: Black Women in Food History with LaDeva Davis
at the Smithsonian's

. {{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, LaDeva 1944 births 2022 deaths PBS people University of the Arts (Philadelphia) alumni Television personalities from Philadelphia African-American television personalities American chefs Dance teachers Smithsonian Institution 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American people