Vivian Howard

Vivian Howard is a chef, restaurateur, author, and public television personality recognized for her influence in American food culture. After training at the Institute of Culinary Education and working in New York City kitchens such as wd~50 and Spice Market, Howard returned to eastern North Carolina to open Chef & the Farmer in Kinston. The farm-to-table restaurant became a destination for food enthusiasts and earned Howard multiple James Beard Foundation Award nominations for Best Chef: Southeast.

Howard gained national attention as co-creator and host of the PBS docuseries "A Chef's Life," which ran for five seasons and explored the challenges of restaurant life while highlighting the food traditions of eastern North Carolina. The series received a Peabody Award, a Daytime Emmy, and a James Beard Award for Outstanding Personality/Host. Howard expanded her culinary ventures to include several restaurants, cafés, and bakeries across the South, such as Lenoir and Handy & Hot in Charleston, South Carolina.

As an author, Howard wrote the cookbook-memoir "Deep Run Roots: Stories and Recipes from My Corner of the South," which became a New York Times bestseller and received multiple honors from the International Association of Culinary Professionals, including Cookbook of the Year and the Julia Child First Book Award. Her second book, "This Will Make It Taste Good: A New Path to Simple Cooking," offers practical culinary advice and storytelling. Howard is a contributing columnist for Garden & Gun and has written for The Washington Post, The New York Times, and Southern Living.

Howard also hosted "Somewhere South" on PBS, a series examining the cultural roots of Southern cooking. She launched "Kitchen Curious with Vivian Howard" on PBS, an eight-episode series addressing common questions for home cooks and blending food science, nutrition, and practical tips. Howard continues to explore Southern cuisine, regional foodways, and culinary storytelling, connecting audiences to the stories behind what we eat.