André Prince Jeffries
In 2013, the James Beard Foundation named Prince’s Hot Chicken as an “America’s Classic,” an award that designates a restaurant “with timeless appeal, each beloved in its region for quality food that reflects the character of its community.” The recognition was certainly well-deserved and reflected the contribution of the Prince family to Nashville as an interesting culinary community.
André Prince Jeffries picked up the Beard Award back in 2013, but the intended spotlight of an America’s Classic is on the actual restaurant, rather than a particular person who may run the restaurant or cook in the kitchen. Of course, there would be no Prince’s today without the leadership and vision of Mrs. André, so it was nice to hear that the National Fried Chicken Festival had plans to commemorate her career with its 2022 Culinary Icon Award, which was presented at the fifth annual festival in New Orleans.
The National Fried Chicken Festival is presented by Raising Cane’s, the massively successful chicken-fingers-and-Texas-toast chain founded in Baton Rouge in 1996. The chain now has almost 500 locations across the country and internationally. The first two Nashville outposts are currently under construction on Lower Broad and on White Bridge Road.
“Raising Cane’s is thrilled to be able to recognize yet another legendary chef at the 2022 National Fried Chicken Festival,” said Todd Graves, founder, CEO, fry cook and cashier of Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers in an official announcement. “Prince's Hot Chicken is an iconic Nashville institution that I look forward to visiting every time I’m in town. The best restaurants are the ones with great food, great people, and a great story — and Prince’s embodies exactly that.”
Mrs. André received her award on Oct. 2 on the festival’s main stage in front of thousands of attendees who were there to enjoy live music and food from more than 35 vendors. See a shot of the award presentation right here. Sounds like it was a lot of fun to be a part of. Congrats to the hot chicken queen!
