Ms. Emily H. Meggett was born on November 19, 1932 on Edisto Island. She was
raised by her grandmother, Elizabeth Major Hutchinson and uncles, Isaiah and
Luther Hutchinson. She attended several schools on Edisto Island, Seaside
Elementary School, Country School and Larimer High School. She married the late
Jessie Meggett in 1951 and together they raised 11 children. She worked as a
cook for more than 45 years and was taught by one of the best cooks on Edisto
Island, the late Ms. Julia W. Brown.
Her grandmother taught her how to cook at the age of 12 and instilled in her, that
you never cook enough for just you and your family, because you never know
who will stop by. Cooking brings Ms. Emily Meggett great joy and she has fed too
many people to count. Wherever she goes, it is important for her to not go
empty handed. She always takes a gift of food with her.
Ms. Emily Meggett is a long-standing member of the New First Missionary Baptist
Church where she serves on several auxiliaries. This woman is the epitome of
what a good Christian represents, what it means to be a good Mother, a good
neighbor, a good friend, a good community leader, but most of all she’s
passionate and has the love of God in heart for everyone, and believes that
everyone that walks through the doors of her house, is hungry and will be fed
before they leave.
At 89 years old, and with more than 55 grandchildren and great-grandchildren,
Ms. Emily Meggett is a respected elder in the community of South Carolina. She
has lived on the island all her life, and even at her age, still cooks for many people
out of her hallowed home kitchen. Her house is a place of pilgrimage for anyone
to stop by at any given time. If the side door is open, there is food in the kitchen.
Ms. Emily Meggett is a New York Times Best Selling Author of Gullah Geechie
Home Cooking released on 26 April 2022. She is also the recipient of the
Presidents Lifetime Achievement Award for Volunteer Service. On 22 July 2022
she received a Proclamation declaring 22 July Emily Meggett’s Day in Charleston
from Mayor John Tecklenburg.