By Penni Malloy-Harper, RN
The ESSENCE Festival of Culture was grand, drawing actors, singers, celebrities, activists, sponsors, and attendees to New Orleans over the July 4th weekend in 2026. My favorite moment was meeting Carmen Smith, Senior Vice President, Creative Development, Content-Products & Inclusive Strategies, Disney Park Experiences Products/Walt Disney Imagineering, and Ms. Stella Chase-Reese, daughter of the late Chef Leah Chase, the legendary New Orleans chef, author, civil rights icon, and “Queen of Creole Cuisine,” whose legacy helped inspire Princess Tiana in Disney’s animated film The Princess and the Frog.
Set in 1920s New Orleans, Disney’s The Princess and the Frog (2009) shares the story of Tiana, a hardworking waitress, who dreams of one day owning her own restaurant. Princess Tiana remains the first and only Black official Disney Princess.
Leah Chase (Photo Credit: Dinah Rogers, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayun). Right: Disney’s movie poster for The Princess and the Frog
Stella, Carmen, and I spoke about the newest Disney attraction, Tiana’s Joyful Celebration, an immersive, bilingual museum exhibit produced by Walt Disney Imagineering. It follows the storyline of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, inviting children to use their imagination and teamwork to help Tiana and her friends prepare for a Mardi Gras season parade. The exhibit is immersive and tailored for children ages 6-10, bringing the sights, sounds, and flavors of New Orleans to life. This traveling exhibition had its kickoff at the festival.
Stella Chase-Reese
Stella Chase-Reese, the eldest living daughter of Leah and Edgar Chase, helps run the day-to-day operations of Dooky-Chase Restaurant alongside multiple generations of her family. She spoke about the importance of keeping her mother’s legacy alive and honoring the role the restaurant played in New Orleans history.
During the segregation era of the 1960s, Dooky Chase’s Restaurant in the Tremé neighborhood served as a desegregated sanctuary where activists gathered, planned sit-ins and protests, and shared meals. During the Jim Crow years, it was one of the few fine-dining restaurants in New Orleans that welcomed Black patrons, becoming a vital meeting place for civil rights leaders, entertainers, and politicians traveling through the city.
Jenifer Lewis, actress and voice of Mama Odie from The Princess and the Frog
Leah Chase also turned the restaurant walls into an art gallery, championing Black artists at a time when they were routinely excluded from mainstream museums. Her impact on American food and culture was recognized with the James Beard Lifetime Achievement Award, numerous honorary degrees, and a legacy that continues through her family and community.
Carmen Smith, Senior Vice President, Creative Development, Content-Products & Inclusive Strategies · Disney Park Experiences Products/Walt Disney Imagineering
Stella shared with me at the Essence Festival of Culture that this exhibition is important for those who are unable to travel to the Bayou. Carmen also expressed, “What better place than to have it here, the home of the influence of Princess Tiana.”
Stella Chase-Reese, Penni Malloy-Harper, and Carmen Smith
(All images courtesy of Disney)
Penni Malloy-Harper
Penni Malloy-Harper is a registered nurse, media and health consultant, director, executive producer, CEO, and founder of Pennbrook Consulting Corp and Pennbrook TV.
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