*Did you know that an enslaved chef named James Hemings created Mac and cheese but Thomas Jefferson, third president of the U.S., often gets credit for it?
Here’s more from moguldom:
The story, passed down through the generations, goes that while traveling in Europe in the late 1700s prior to becoming president, Jefferson first tried a European version of macaroni pasta and cheese. He brought the recipe back when he returned to Virginia. But what is left out of that lore is that Jefferson was traveling with a slave who was his chef, and it was Hemings who came up with a version of mac and cheese for Americans’ taste. But Jefferson and his wife, Martha, took the credit.
Hemings became the property of Jefferson at age 8, serving as the “valet, chauffeur, and chef,” according to the James Hemings Society.
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Jefferson allowed Hemings to hone his culinary skills under a French chef in Annapolis, and with chefs at the Chateau Chantilly, the “five-star kitchen of 18th century France.“
After completing his training, Hemings was made the head chef at Jefferson’s private residence in Paris, known as the Hôtel de Langeac.
Hemings would continue to cook continental European-style macaroni and cheese once returning to Jefferson’s plantation in Virginia. America’s elite would come to know of the savory dish when it was served at a state dinner hosted by Jefferson at the White House, according to How Stuff Works.
“Macaroni and cheese was featured in cookbooks and became a culinary delight among the wealthy, but it also was a dish for the poor. After slavery, Blacks often relied on relief organizations and food from the government, which often included macaroni and processed cheese, making a quick, easy and affordable meal,” Afro.com reported.
And there you have it!
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