Now, Ms. Howard is five seasons into “A Chef’s Life,” her popular public television show. But to many of the show’s three million fans, and to the guests who travel hundreds of miles to eat at her restaurant, Ms. Howard is a rural Princess Leia. “What I came to realize was that much of rural America feels forgotten and misunderstood and, frankly, hopeless,” Ms. Howard said. She was in boarding school by 14, then headed to North Carolina State, where she dreamed of becoming a journalist. Fans lined up to tell Ms. Howard about their mothers who, like hers, suffer from rheumatoid arthritis.

Source: New York Times January 17, 2017 18:49 UTC