Historical Black Culinarians & Innovators Who the Hospitality Industry
Impacted
In honor of Black History month, we’re celebrating black innovators and culinarians that have helped shape the hospitality industry and change the history of food as whole. Black chefs and inventors are responsible for refining some of the world’s most loved cuisines, inventions and foods that are now commonplace in many of our lives. Often working as personal chefs in homes or restaurants, early black chefs were trained in the art of preparing English and classic French cuisine and possessed culinary skillsets that stretched beyond the soul food cuisine that they have become most famous for. Without their significant contributions, the food industry as we know it would be significantly different in many ways. Below are just some of the stories of these incredibly talented and inspiring individuals that have impacted the way that we enjoy food: Zephyr Wright was a civil rights activist and personal chef for Lyndon B. Johnson for over 20 years. In 1942, Wright began working for the Johnsons as a maid and cook to help pay her way through college, but ended up staying with the Johnson family for the duration of Lyndon’s presidency. During this time (thanks to Wright), Johnson’s home quickly became known for its food, as other politicians visited regularly and built relationships over Wright’s delicious comfort dishes including chile con queso and peach cobbler. Outside of the White House, Wright was also known for her civil rights work which is thought to have influenced President Johnson’s signing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Wright’s culinary contributions not only made the White House a hot-spot for political dinner parties, but also influenced reform against racial injustice. Abby Fisher, one of the first black cookbook authors, was well-known for her Southern cooking, specifically her pickles and preserves. Born into slavery in South Carolina, Fisher learned to cook in plantation kitchens where she developed her unique cooking style. Following the Civil War, Fisher decided to move to San Francisco in order to open her own preserve business. As a former slave who could not read or write, Fisher recruited a team of writers and managed to publish her first cookbook entitled “What Mrs. Fisher Knows About Old Southern Cooking.” Published in 1881, the cookbook included a variety of southern recipes including corn fritters and okra gumbo. Fisher’s accomplishments were an inspiration- showing that despite their circumstances, black culinarians could still excel in the food and hospitality industry.
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Feb 2021
