NEW ORLEANS (AP) — New Orleans chef and civil rights icon Leah Chase, who created the city's first white-tablecloth restaurant for black patrons, broke the city's segregation laws by seating white and black customers and introduced countless tourists to Southern Louisiana Creole cooking, died Saturday. She was 96.

Chase's family released a statement to news outlets Saturday night saying the "unwavering advocate for civil liberties" and "believer in the Spirit of New Orleans" died surrounded by family.

"Her daily joy was not simply cooking, but preparing meals to bring people together," the sta...