
That person would be Peter, who eventually became an equally competent chef.
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But not wanting to be separated from his family members at Monticello back home, he struck a deal with Jefferson – that he would be granted his freedom in Virginia as soon as he taught someone else how to cook. Realizing he was technically a free man, Hemings knew he could sue for his freedom under French law and stay behind. When Jefferson was appointed United States Minister to France in 1784, Hemings, who was then his enslaved cook, traveled with him to France where for five years, he learned the art of French cooking.Īt the time, it was illegal for French citizens to own slaves, and anyone who visited the country with slaves ought to register them. Instead of working in the fields or in the nail factory in the community, they did household chores, according to records. Hemings, who would pass on his culinary knowledge to his younger brother Peter, prepared lavish meals for America’s founding fathers at Monticello, Jefferson’s Virginia plantation. Essentially, the two brothers worked for very famous men, having been related to them.īorn into slavery before the Revolutionary War, the brothers, along with their sister Sally (who became Jefferson’s enslaved mistress) were members of a family sired by the father of Jefferson’s wife, Martha, who had died in 1782. The Hemingses were therefore related to Jefferson’s wife and this allowed them to enjoy special status in the enslaved community at Monticello. Smith, Ron Duprat and Carla Hall, who have greatly influenced America’s food game, have been getting the credit they deserve.īut before these big names were Hemings and his brother Peter, who were slaves of Jefferson and who are believed to be America’s first Black celebrity chefs. In recent times, influential Black cooks like B.

With superstar chefs who always bring the heat to the kitchen with brilliant cooking methods and flavors, America’s cuisine has experienced great transformation.
