She was highly regarded for her nuanced writing and rare ability to chain smoke through a meal and still understand the flavors. She was 71 and had been hospitalized for about a week.
Teresa Gubbins at Pegasus News says it all. Expect a lengthy obituary in tomorrow's Dallas Morning News.
I knew of her mostly by reputation, having been introduced once--in passing--at an event some years ago. Dotty Griffith, then the DMN food critic, nudged me over to a small group gathered around a stately older woman. Waltrina gave the impression that she was thoroughly, earnestly pleased to meet me and all others she encountered that evening.
Rest in peace, Waltrina Stovall.
--Dave Faries