Hemings, James

Impact on the world

Trained at the household of the Prince de Condé in Paris and served as chef de cuisine at Jefferson's diplomatic residence, Hemings became the first American to train as a French chef, introducing dishes that remain staples of American cuisine, and personally cooked the historic 1790 dinner where Jefferson, Hamilton, and Madison negotiated the Compromise that placed the nation's capital on the Potomac.

Life & background

Born into slavery in Virginia, Hemings was brought to Paris by Thomas Jefferson in 1784 at age 19, where he trained under master French chefs and pastry makers, eventually becoming chef de cuisine at the Hôtel de Langeac. He returned to America in 1789 having mastered French haute cuisine, introducing dishes including macaroni and cheese, French fries, crème brûlée, and ice cream to American tables, and trained his brother Peter and other enslaved cooks in French technique. Hemings negotiated his freedom from Jefferson in exchange for training a replacement chef, finally earning manumission in 1796, but died just five years later at 36.

Sources

1. Thomas Jefferson's Monticello; Institute of Culinary History; The Food Griot