Willie Mae Seaton, 99

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Willie Mae Seaton, a chef recognized for her classic American food and whose neighborhood restaurant helped put fried chicken on the culinary map, has died.

Family friends confirmed that Seaton died Saturday. She was 99.

Seaton managed Willie Mae’s Scotch House in New Orleans for decades before her health declined and her great-granddaughter, Kerry Seaton-Stewart, took over. Oxford, Mississippi-based City Grocery Chef John Currence helped Seaton rebuild after Hurricane Katrina. Currence said Seaton had severe respiratory issues over the last couple of months.

Currence says Seaton’s food was uncomplicated and recalled whenever he ate at the restaurant, it always felt like he was sitting at his grandmother’s kitchen table.

Seaton’s cooking earned her the James Beard America’s Classic Award in May 2005.

Robert E. Simon, 101

RESTON, Va. (AP) — Robert E. Simon Jr., who lent his initials to the northern Virginia community he founded more than 50 years ago, has died. He was 101.

The Reston Association reported Simon died Monday in his home. A cause of death was not given.

Simon, who ran his family’s real estate business in New York, bought nearly 6,800 undeveloped acres in Fairfax County in 1961 with proceeds from the sale of Carnegie Hall.

Reston, Virginia, which now has a population exceeding 58,000, was at the forefront of the movement toward planned communities, with an emphasis in Reston on preservation of open spaces, and development that allowed residents to live and work in the same community.

Simon lived in Reston and remained active in the community even after his 100th birthday.