America's first master chef, trained in Paris and the creator of macaroni and cheese, was an enslaved Black man named James Hemings, the brother of Sally Hemings. Hemings brought French vanilla ice cream, meringue, and French fries to the U.S. Chef Ashbell McElveen discusses telling this story fully for the first time in the documentary 'James Hemings: Ghost in America's Kitchen.'

Wake Up With Cheddar

Chef Ashbell McElveen Shares the Story of James Hemings, America's First Master Chef

now if your thanksgiving table features a pan of homemade macaroni and cheese, I sure hope mine does. Then you have America's first master chef to thank for that joining me now to talk about the new documentary James hemings ghost in America's kitchen as a chef And ceo of the James hemings society Ash belt Mac Levine. Thank you so much for joining us. Thank you for having me. Now. This documentary looks at the life of chef James hemings. So let's take a look and then we'll talk on the side. Okay, cool. This was the white house in the 17 nineties, a plague forced Washington and deficit and others to flee center city philadelphia to german town. One of the men who came through this house was James hemings. Our culinary founding father fine dining was brought to philadelphia by enslaved black chefs. Oh, this is so exciting. Now, as some of our viewers already know that I am the sixth great grandson of President thomas Jefferson and sally hemings which makes James hemings my great uncle. So I had to jump at the opportunity to executive produce this project. But what drew you to this project? Well, I am glad that you joined the project. Um I started it with Anthony were um the director of the project and it literally was a labor of listen to the spirits and a labor of love. So that uh literally got started. I had done a dinner at the James Beard house and a tribute to thomas jefferson And the Africans that cooked in this kitchen and didn't know much about James hemings. But I as I discovered more and more and learn more and more. I think I had a visitation from his spirit which definitely put me on the track to discover more. So how did an enslaved black man become the first american train french master chef? Because a lot of people say oh that's impossible for him to have such, you know, quality training Well, well um a lot of people said that, but jefferson took him to paris for the express purpose of becoming a friendship. And as Jacques Pepin said in the documentary, um it took him eight years to do what James hemings did in a year and a half. Um so he was exceedingly bright and he was fluent in both english and french written and spoken. And he trained at the chateau shanty in France, which was um one of the premier um institutions and tables in France, it was the food was considered better than the food at Versailles. So, and I love how you talk about how smart he is because in the documentary we also find out that he was smart enough to negotiate his own freedom. Absolutely cooking. Yes, yes. So it was so eye opening all the information that comes out of this. Why is the story like this so important. Well this story is so important, particularly today um because it just correct the erroneous um information that thomas Jefferson cooked anything when it was enslaved chefs like James hemings who actually put fine taste in his mouth. Um So that's what's important about the story. Well speaking to some of the fine taste, let's get to some of these actual dishes that start with, of course macaroni and cheese, macaroni and cheese, definitely. Uh It's one of the dishes that he brought back to America also um firm ice cream from french vanilla ice cream, meringues, creme brulee and whipped cream. And uh we're looking at some of the details about it right here uh 17 90. This is amazing, especially because they didn't have back then, you know, to store the ice cream in. Um And it's the dinner that he um cooked um to reconcile alexander Hamilton's and thomas jefferson took place on Maiden lane. So literally he shopped at the fry market here right around here to uh get the food and he got the ice to make ice cream from the british barracks, which is now right behind City Hall. That is crazy, so much history and french fries, we can't forget french fries because my kids love them. He actually brought french fries as one of those other things to the U. S. As well. Yeah, he's the first to make them in America. He didn't invent them. He's the first to make them in America. And it's ironic that from that enslaved kitchen at Monticello, these dishes went around the world and became global phenomenons. Um How is that possible just from different slaves. And it was the fact that thomas, jefferson's table was the premier table in America. And um and James hemings influence on that table was incredible because literally by jefferson's own hand with his man imation um contract, he was to create the first cooking school in America and that is the stuff that the credit that he doesn't get. So this film is the first in a trilogy um of films that we are hoping that will clear up this mystery. So I'm glad to have you on board executive producing with me. So exciting. So before we go, what was one thing that really shocked you or stood out that you may not have known before working on this project? Well, I didn't know that uh James, I didn't know the extent of James hemings freedom in France and I arrived in France at 19 also so I could um really um understand in a very personal way um what a young black american would be doing in France. And and the thing that really surprised me in in the return to America, he refused to come to the White house unless jefferson wrote him a letter and I'm proud of him for refusing to go unless you got the letter? He said, you can't call me like you did when I was your slave wow! He demanded respect, demanded respect and he and that is the proudest moment for me. All right, well, we appreciate your thanks again to Chef Ashe Bell McElveen and be sure to watch James hemings the ghost in America's Kitchen. It's right now available on amazon Prime video.