Southern Grande Dame Marks 90 Years

Sending Birthday Cheer

Let’s make it a truly momentous occasion!  
​Please take a moment to toast her on her special day!

Happiest of Birthdays
to
​Judy Brooks Reed

From Instagram photo above: Judy Reed on left  and her late daughter Julia at right courtesy of the Julia Evans Reed Charitable Trust.
There are women whose grace, taste, and generosity leave an imprint on everyone fortunate enough to sit at their table.
​
Judy Reed — mother of the late irreplaceable bionic Julia Reed (1960-2020), celebrates  90 years of life.  I offer a small tribute farther below to a woman who, in SO many ways, made Julia possible…and I’m inviting your well-wishes.

An Homage to Judy Brooks Reed
Judy came from a prominent Nashville family — and carries herself with an effortless elegance. She married a handsome and formidable man, Clarke Reed, a businessman who would become one of the most influential Republican Party figures in Mississippi. Together they settled in Greenville, in the heart of the Mississippi Delta, and built a life of remarkable richness and genuine warmth.

​Long before I met her, Julia spoke of her mother the way you speak of someone who is simply, inarguably, right about things — about how a room should feel, how guests should be received, how a table should be laid. When Julia finally invited me to accompany her home to Greenville for a visit, I understood immediately what she meant. 

Julia (1960-2020) & Judy Reed and Elizabeth Cordes McGee at a vineyard, from Instagram account: @juliareedtrust
​
Meeting Judy
The house, a perfect mid-century modern Mississippi Delta ranch, was sprawling, and entirely at ease with the wide, flat landscape. In spring, thousands of Narcissus and Jonquils bloomed in the yard and along a driveway that cut through a nineteenth-century levee. Judy has an innate love of beauty. The interior was exquisitely appointed primarily in English antiques and comfortable American furniture — upholstered sofas and chairs — and yet nothing felt precious or untouchable….every corner was inviting.
​
I remember the moment I first met her. Judy was at the door and welcomed me into her home as though I were someone she had looked forward to seeing for years. She is tall, with lovely and elegant features and a soft Tennessee-Mississippi accent. On the table was a large platter of pickled shrimp that a neighbor had brought over for Julia's guests. I got the recipe. While I’ve never made them, I think about them still. They were divine.

Raising a Glass to Judy
​I enjoyed Judy’s hospitality on other occasions, and she is a talented cook as well. Judy is the kind of hostess whose table produces memories that outlast the occasion by decades.

The Julia Evens Reed Charitable Trust came to life so beautifully after losing my dear friend. A 2021 auction of Julia's extraordinary estate helped make it possible.

The Trust is,
in many ways,
an extension
of
Judy's spirit.


♥️

​Judy
modeled
what it looks like to invest in people, in place, in the genius of a corner of the world others might overlook.
Julia learned that from her mother.

---

* Photo credit info below

​Gratitude & Love
​In recent years, Clarke Reed passed away, leaving Judy as the keeper of a remarkable family legacy. She carries it, as one might expect, with grace.
On this 90th birthday,
please join me in sending Judy Reed
our deepest love and admiration.
Raise a glass in her honor.
Judy Reed raised one of the most singular voices of her generation. She welcomed strangers as though they were family. She planted thousands of flowers along a Delta levee and beyond … because the world deserved to be that beautiful.
Love to you Judy! Happiest of Birthdays!
Peter

* Gumbo Photo by the incredibly talented Paul Costello from her last cookbook: Julia Reed's New Orleans: Food, Fun & Field Trips for Letting the Good Times Roll

P.S. Call this the Extended Side Note Below

More Flowers & Appreciation
Getting Personal

Inspired by a post card from the late ‘1920’s, it’s been my dream to bring back large stands of Big Blue (Iris giganticaerulea), to the banks of Bayou Teche.  Both Judy and Julia’s Trust have supported this dream.
I AM GRATEFUL

Inspired by a post card from the late ‘1920’s, it’s been my dream to bring back large stands of Big Blue (Iris giganticaerulea), to the banks of Bayou Teche.  

Both Judy and Julia’s Trust have supported this dream.

Judy gave funds to the remarkable Louisiana Iris Conservation Initiative (founded and led by the extraordinary Gary Salathe - follow on Facebook. The organization rescues and plants wild native irises that are threatened with destruction. Plantings go to public lands for everyone to enjoy.  These native irises shore up the banks and also help to prevent wetlands loss. Yes, they’re beautiful to behold!

The Trust also made a donation to support our first Acadiana Native Iris Festival, held just last March.  I am deeply grateful for the support. ​

IRIS FESTIVAL A SUCCESS
Save the Date!
More blooms and info to come!
March 27-28, 2027 New Iberia