Submitted by Chef Damon Henderson on February 8, 2021 11:42am
There was a time in this countries history, where white men did not cook a great deal; that was a job for women and slaves.During this time there were many renowned Chefs of African descent cooking in America. In fact, one of the first American born citizens to be trained in the French Culinary tradition was James Hemmings, a slave owned by president Thomas Jefferson and the brother of Jefferson's mistress, Sally. George Washington also had a black chef, his slave Hercules. Another name forgotten by many in recent years, is that of another great American Chef, Executive Chef Patrick Clark of Tavern on the Green in NY. Patrick was a MAJOR influence in the culinary revival that is still having an effect on chefs in this country today. Patrick was among the first to mix fine dining and bistro as well as one of the first to apply French technique to regional American cuisine.
African American Chefs
Submitted by Chef Damon Henderson on February 8, 2021 11:42am
There was a time in this countries history, where white men did not cook a great deal; that was a job for women and slaves.During this time there were many renowned Chefs of African descent cooking in America. In fact, one of the first American born citizens to be trained in the French Culinary tradition was James Hemmings, a slave owned by president Thomas Jefferson and the brother of Jefferson's mistress, Sally. George Washington also had a black chef, his slave Hercules. Another name forgotten by many in recent years, is that of another great American Chef, Executive Chef Patrick Clark of Tavern on the Green in NY. Patrick was a MAJOR influence in the culinary revival that is still having an effect on chefs in this country today. Patrick was among the first to mix fine dining and bistro as well as one of the first to apply French technique to regional American cuisine.