Council, Mildred

African American businesswomen and cook Mildred Council ("Dip") was born on a farm in rural Chatham County, N.C, in 1929. In 1957, Council became the manager of Bill's Barbecue, a restaurant owned by her father-in-law in Chapel Hill, N.C. She opened Mama Dip's Country Kitchen in Chapel Hill in 1976. In 1999, she published "Mama Dip's Kitchen," which contains both recipes and reminiscences.

African American businesswoman and cook Mildred Council ( Dip ) was born on a farm in rural Chatham County, N.C, in 1929. Her father, Ed Cotton, was a farmer, while her mother, Effie Edwards Cotton, taught school in Chatham County.

Council attended cosmetology school in Durham, N.C., graduating in 1947. She then married Joe Council, with whom she had eight children while holding down a variety of food preparation jobs. In 1957, Council became the manager of Bill's Barbecue, a restaurant owned by her father-in-law in Chapel Hill, N.C. She opened Mama Dip's Country Kitchen in Chapel Hill in 1976. Dip's has become a landmark for southern-style cooking in the region. In 1999, she published Mama Dip's Kitchen, which contains both recipes and reminiscences.