Henrico Black History Month Spotlight – Mary Frances Warden Lambert
In honor of February as Black History Month, the Henrico Citizen will spotlight (on each weekday during the month) an important current or former Black resident of Henrico whose life has helped shape the county.
Mary Frances Warden Lambert, a nationally recognized caterer whose culinary talents helped shape Richmond’s social and cultural life for decades, was born in Henrico County on July 29, 1912, to Leonard J. and Sarah C. Warden. Known to friends and family simply as Frances, she left high school before graduating in order to work as a maid and help support her family, whose parents were employed in domestic service.
In 1934 she married Benjamin Joseph Lambert Jr., and together they raised seven children in western Henrico County while quietly laying the groundwork for a future business. By 1950, after nearly a decade cooking for private clients, the couple formally launched Lambert Catering.
The venture soon became one of Central Virginia’s most sought-after services, earning the distinction of official caterer for the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and handling events at the Virginia Governor's Mansion, the Richmond Academy of Medicine, and the Valentine Museum, as well as church and family celebrations and many other events.
Citizen Staff Reports
Lambert later recalled that her largest single dinner was the VMFA’s 25th-anniversary celebration, when she served 500 guests. Among them was Vincent Price, who was so impressed that he later included several of her recipes in one of his cookbooks.
The Lambert children all worked in the family business, and the couple also trained and mentored young people—especially college students—helping many find jobs in hospitality. Lambert amassed a personal library of more than 1,000 cookbooks and drew attention from publications such as Gourmet Magazine and Town & Country. She was featured in the Junior League of Richmond’s Virginia Celebrates cookbook and noted by historian Virginius Dabney in his 1976 work on the city’s past.
After retiring in 1974, Lambert devoted herself to volunteerism and community service. That same year she was named Virginia’s “Mother of the Year,” a title formally bestowed upon her by Gov. Mills Godwin. Additional honors followed from the Ministers Wives of Richmond, the Metropolitan Business League, and the YWCA. In 1980, she and her husband were recognized by the Richmond Conference of Christians and Jews and inducted into the Greater Richmond Business Hall of Fame. She was also celebrated by the city as a centenarian in 2012.
Lambert died Oct. 10, 2014, at age 102 and was laid to rest at Pryor Memorial Cemetery in Henrico.
