Award-winning chef, TV personality, author and NC State alumna Vivian Howard will return to campus Dec. 15 to deliver the annual Eloise S. Cofer Lecture on connecting food, family and community.

The event, which takes place 7-9 p.m. at the Talley Student Union’s Stewart Theater, is free and open to the public. No tickets or registration are required, and the first 100 attendees will receive a copy of Howard’s new book “Deep Run Roots: Stories and Recipes from My Corner of the South.”

A 2000 graduate of NC State, Howard co-owns the famed farm-to-table restaurant Chef & the Farmer in Kinston. She is also star of the PBS documentary series, “A Chef’s Life,” about her life in the kitchen and as mother of two young children.

For information on the Cofer lecture, contact Dr. Ben Chapman of the Department of Agricultural and Human Sciences at benjamin_chapman@ncsu.edu.