James Hemings innovated mac and cheese and brought vanilla ice cream, crème brûlée and french fries to the United States from Paris in the late 18th century. And while most of us don’t know Hemings, we do know his brother-in-law and enslaver, the 3rd president of the United States, Thomas Jefferson. Hemings was an American culinary founding father. He and other enslaved chefs invented fine dining in America. So why haven’t they gotten a seat at their own table?

To learn more, watch Chef Ashbell McElveen’s documentary, ‘James Hemings: Ghost in America’s Kitchen’, available to stream on Amazon Prime.

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