Black History on Your Plate 🧀

Discover the untold story of James Hemings, the Black chef whose genius brought mac & cheese to America and transformed our holiday tables forever.

Author

Dale Harris
November 25, 2025

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MAIN STORY

đŸ”„ The Hidden Black Chef Who Gave America Its Favorite Holiday Dish — It’s Time You Knew His Name

⚡ THE SPARK

Mac and cheese hits every Thanksgiving table like gospel, but almost nobody knows the dish was perfected in America by James Hemings, an enslaved Black chef who mastered French cuisine before he could even claim his own freedom.
This isn’t just food history. It’s a reminder of how Black brilliance shaped the taste of a nation
 while the nation tried to erase the hands behind the flavor.

🧠 THE LAYER BELOW

  • Hemings was the first American, Black or white, trained as a French chef de cuisine.

  • He brought mac and cheese, ice cream, French fries, and whipped cream into American kitchens.

  • His recipes powered Jefferson’s political dinners, including the deal that created Washington, D.C.

  • Yet Jefferson, historians, and cookbooks credited the dishes to everyone but him.

  • His story mirrors a pattern: Black innovation becomes American culture while Black innovators vanish from the narrative.

  • The food we call “tradition” often has roots in resistance, survival, and genius under oppression.

  • Mac and cheese isn’t just a side dish, it’s a legacy of Black mastery baked into American identity.

🎯 THE REAL QUESTION

If Black creativity built so much of America’s culture, why does America still struggle to say the names behind the creations?

🔼 WHAT’S NEXT

This Thanksgiving, the assignment is simple: remember who seasoned the culture. Honoring James Hemings isn’t about rewriting history, it’s about finally telling the truth.
Because when we name the creators, we honor the lineage. When we honor the lineage, we deepen the meaning of the tradition. And when we deepen the tradition, we reclaim the story.

Give credit loudly. Celebrate boldly. Legacy tastes better when the truth is served.

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ARTIST SPOTLIGHT

Very Merry Mystery | Official Trailer

In OWN’s new holiday thriller Very Merry Mystery, a beauty shop owner gets more than festive fun when a wealthy socialite’s Christmas murder-mystery party turns real, the host vanishes, a ransom note appears, and the clock starts ticking. With her sharp eye for detail and a crew of loyal friends, she races to solve the case before it’s too late. Catch the premiere Saturday, December 13 at 9/8c on OWN.

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