“I’m Certainly Not Princess Material”: The Story Behind the Real-Life Princess Tiana

Princess Tiana is top of mind with Splash Mountain taking its final plunge.

Although construction walls marked with the jazz-playing alligator Louis and friends slinging soulful songs (or so we imagine) around Disney’s new attraction, there’s more work to do on developing the whimsical world of the Bayou.

The wheels are turning for Imagineers, looping in award-winning artists PJ Morton and Terence Blanchard to curate the musical stylings of New Orleans for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. A team of Imagineers visited the Bayou to delve into the local culture, art scene, and restaurant that inspired The Princess and the Frog (2009).

As it turns out, Princess Tiana was based on the Queen of Creole: Chef Leah Chase.

The Queen of Creole Cuisine

“A little plate of good food can make you happy.” —Chef Leah Chase

The inspiration for Princess Tiana, Chef Leah Chase, passed away in 2019 at 96. For seven decades, she was the spirit behind the emblematic restaurant ​​in the Treme-Lafitte neighborhood of New Orleans: Dooky Chase.

Chopping, stirring, spicing, and crafting soulful food for her beloved neighborhood folks to enjoy, the vibrant chef withstood trials and tribulations with a contagious smile on her face.

Leaving home to continue her education in New Orleans, Leah Chase started working in a laundromat before taking a waitressing job in the French Quarter. When her mother-in-law borrowed $600 from a brewery to open Dooky Chase, Leah Chase learned every cooking technique she could from her, as told by the vibrant Leah Chase in the video below.

The hard work paid off, earning Chef Leah Chase the 2016 James Beard Lifetime Achievement Award, the Lafcadio Hearn Hall of Honor at Nicholls State University’s John Folse Culinary Institute, the Candace Award, the Freedom Foundation Award, and the NAACP Human Understanding and A.P. Tureaud Awards among others. She also authored the Dooky Chase Cookbook.

In addition to the delightful food whipped up by Chef Leah Chase, Dooky Chase has a rich history in the Civil Rights movement. Leah Chase invited everyone to eat at the restaurant, leading the charge to host prolific conversations, black luminaries, and influential leaders.

Chef Leah Chase’s Legacy

In preparation for the most interactive gumbo recipe yet on Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, Imagineers visited Dooky Chase to collaborate with Leah’s daughter, Stella Chase Reese.

Disney Parks Blog shared the Princess of Creole’s thoughts from their meeting on Princess Tiana and the film her mother inspired:

If we have children and grown people coming here because of Tiana, they’re not coming here just because of Tiana’s restaurant and the food, it’s the value, it’s what she meant to them. Dream big and you can make it happen.

If Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is a love letter to New Orleans, Chef Leah Chase is the city’s signature. Even though she’s no longer with us, her legacy lives on through the restaurant, her daughter Stella Chase Reese, and the beloved Princess Tiana.