Lena Richard was a chef, cookbook author, restaurateur, frozen food entrepreneur, and television host from New Orleans, Louisiana. On October 20, 1949, Richard became the first Black woman to host her own television cooking show. Her show aired from October 1949 - November 1950 on local television station WDSU.
Richard initially received her culinary education locally in New Orleans, and later in Boston where she attended the school founded by Fannie Farmer. She graduated in 1918 and returned to New Orleans where she opened her own catering business and several eateries. She opened a cooking school in 1937 in New Orleans specifically for Black students. In 1939, Richard self-published Lena's Richard's Cook Book. The cookbook made her the first Black author to feature New Orleans Creole cuisine.