But they havent always received the credit they deserve.
They may not be household names yet, but they should be.
The cookbook became so popular that Houghton Mifflin republished it internationally the next year.
Credit:ILLUSTRATION: Kate Lemay
It was a huge hit.
The cook was charged with everything from planning elaborate menus to preparing the presidents favorite dishes.
Laura Dolly Johnson, a formerly enslaved Black woman from Kentucky, held this position twice.
Credit:Illustration: Kate Lemay
In 1889, President Benjamin Harrison hired Johnson after firing his French chef.
She worked for a year before Cleveland fired her then attempted to rehire her.
In a bold power move, Johnson refused his offer and went home to Kentucky.
Credit:Illustration: Kate Lemay
Two years earlier she had been robbed of her life savings and fled Tennessee to Michigan.
She hoped sales from the book would allow her to eventually return home.
Its unclear whether Russell made it back, but I like to think that she did.
Credit:Illustration: Kate Lemay
It contains about 250 recipesmostly pastries but also some savory dishes and home remedies.
And though she was from the South, her recipes reflect a geographically diverse palate.
I find it fascinating that Russells cookbook didnt just add to American culinary history; it changed it.
Big thanks to Malinda Russell for setting the record straight.
These assets would make her a key figure during the Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955.
Together, they turned their food into a tool of resistance during the 381-day boycott.
Afterward, King encouraged her to open a restaurant inside her home and helped her pay for equipment.
In a full-circle moment, Gilmores civil rights journey ended in the kitchen where it began.
She died in 1990 while cooking for the 25th anniversary of the 1965 march from Selma to Montgomery.
