Jonell Nash

Jonell Nash (December 20, 1942 – February 27, 2015) was a food editor for Essence from 1984 to 2008 and author of the cookbook Low-Fat Soul, published in 1996.

Early life Born in Delhi, Louisiana, Nash was one of four children born to Willie Henry Nash Sr. and Mollie Osborne. Nash's father, Willie Henry Nash Sr., worked in a plastics plant.

Nash is the author of two books. Her first book, Essence Brings You Great Cooking, was published in 1994 and had over 300 recipes from the magazine. Her second book, Low-Fat Soul, was published in 1996 by One World.

Nash financed a scholarship for students to study Southern cooking in honor of chef Edna Lewis with the help of Les Dames d’Escoffier New York, an organization of women in the food and hospitality professions. The scholarship is supposedly being renamed for Nash.

A collection of cookbooks owned and referenced by Nash is a part of the Wayne State University Special Collections.

Personal life Jonell Nash's lifelong partner was actor Paul D. Butler. Butler died in 2010, five years prior to Nash's death on February 27, 2015.

Works Essence Brings You Great Cooking (1994) Low-Fat Soul (1996)

Resources