James Hemings: A Founding Father of American Cuisine

Black people have always been said to be able to make do with the scraps. Due to enslavement, a common belief is that we can “make something out of nothing.” Though there may be some truth to that statement, black Americans have contributed greatly to weaving the fabric of America, including the culinary world. James Hemings: Ghost in America’s Kitchen explores the life of James Hemings a black chef born into slavery in 1765. In a time when black people were seen as property, the Ghost in America’s Kitchen sets out to “recognize there was a group of people who performed at a very high level,” says Tonya Hopkins, Food Historian.

Hemings was brother-in-law to Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States. Jefferson married Martha Wayles in 1772. Hemings was inherited by Martha after the death of her father John Wayles. Born the son of an enslaved woman, Elizabeth Hemings, and John Wayles, Hemings was Martha’s half-brother.

As a teenager Hemings was Jefferson’s personal attendant. Hemings’ career as a chef began with a trip to France when he was summoned by Jefferson. His studies of the culinary arts led him to become the head chef at Jefferson’s residence, also known as the American embassy. While in France Hemings became literate in the French language. According to French chef Jacques Pépin, it was “amazing for him to make the complexity of the food, and [run] the team in the kitchen, in that little amount of time, in another language.”

“There is a lost generation of African American chefs, and the nation’s cuisine is the poorer for it.”
The Apprentice: My Life in the Kitchen
By Jacques Pépin

In the late 1700’s Philadelphia was the capital of the United States. During this time Hemings traveled back to America with Jefferson, and his team of black chefs, bringing fine dining along with them to Philadelphia. In his capacity as head chef, Hemings cooked for everyone from the President to international diplomatic visitors. Though he continued to cook for Jefferson, through the abolition of slavery in Philadelphia, Hemings was able to negotiate his freedom. Jefferson required Hemings to teach a person of Jefferson’s choosing to be “a good cook” before he could be free.

The James Hemings Society

Today the James Hemings Society, founded by Chef Ashbell McElveen, is “dedicated to serving, unearthing, and illuminating the significant contributions of James Hemings; along with countless under-acknowledged food and drink professionals of African descent throughout American history.” Chef Ashbell comes from a family of cooks, including his mother, an executive chef. He spent 10 years living in France, and 15 years in the UK where he opened his own restaurant.

As we watch the story of Hemings unfold in Ghost in America’s Kitchen, we walk along with Chef Ashbell’s journey as well on his path to discovering the history of Hemings. As Chef Ashbell’s eyes are opened to Hemings’ impact on America’s culinary history, we hear from culinary historians, authors, and celebrity chefs, like Toni Tipton- Martin, Heather Johnston, Glenn Ellis, and Adrian Miller.

“Before I met the director Anthony Werhun, I had been at Chateau Chantilly, where James Hemings trained to be a master chef de cuisine.” In the documentary, Chef McElveen describes a time at the Beard house where he did a tribute to Jefferson and the ‘Africans that worked in his kitchen’. At this time he was not aware of the history of James Hemings, he only heard, what he thought was a rumor at the time, that one of Jefferson’s brothers accompanied him to France to become a chef. Later he describes feeling a connection to Hemings, as a spiritual encounter, and he is not alone. Michael Twitty recounts a similar experience, defining food as “something that provides a communication, a mystical experience, between the living, the dead, and those yet to be born.”

Hemings is said to have introduced or heavily influenced Americans’ current-day preparation of ice cream, macaroni and cheese, whipped cream, crème brûlée, and French fries. Thérèse Nelson, Founder BlackCulinaryhistory.com adds that “you can’t tell honest stories about American foodways without telling the black culinary parts of it.”

Chef Ashbell’s Classic Southern Banana Pudding featuring Hemings’s recipe for French vanilla ice cream. Photo courtesy of Chef Ashbell.

There is a greater history many of us have yet to explore, a greater culinary history of America, and the Ghost in America’s kitchen gives us a starting point to begin that exploration toward awareness and appreciation of black culinarians’ contribution to American cuisine.

The James Hemings: Ghost in America’s Kitchen documentary is available to watch now through Amazon Prime Video.