This episode will make you hungry!
Rufus Estes and Chin Foin both left a big mark on food, both lived in Chicago at the same time, and both had their food featured in important cookbooks in 1911.
Here’s a link to Rufus’s Cook book Good Things To Eat on Archive.org
Here’s The Sandwiches of History guy making and eating a Rufus Recipe for Banana Sandwich:
All writing by Mick Sullivan.
Transcription of Chin Foin
Somewhere, way back in time, long before we as people were writing stuff down, something amazing happened thanks to our ancestors – our collective ancestors all over the world. Maybe you’ve heard of societies, groups of people, who were hunter gatherers. This was common way to survive. Hunt for meat, gather plants and nuts, rinse and repeat. Over time, we learned what plants were edible and probably also figured out what plants were not. Please, let’s have a moment of silence for those long-ago ancestors who ate bad plants. But three cheers for the ones who found the good ones! I think I speak for everyone when I say thanks for the broccoli and spinach, my buds!
But things really started to change when the gathering part of hunting and gathering began to lose its importance. It happened because people took an active role in growing the plants rather than relying on nature to do it. Smart, observant people began keeping seeds from the biggest, or heartiest, or tastiest plants of a species and planting them to grow next season’s plants. This selective process changed what grew over the years. It was a way to pick the qualities of a food we like and try to grow more that were similar.
This human intervention is called plant domestication, and archeologists have agreed that at a half dozen places around the world, very early humans used the idea to change the world. These places are called world hearth sites – places where, independent of one another, people chose specific seeds to grow the best plants. This process happened over and over again each year for eons, until the selected plants changed over time to have the properties that humans wanted the most. Eventually they began to resemble the plants we eat today. This was done by human observation, selection, and intelligence. Really, it’s science in action. Good work people from long ago!
Through careful research – and science – today, Archeologists can determine where the foods crucial to human development were domesticated – all thanks to these early ancestors, who we can all proudly claim. In the middle east, people domesticated wheat and barley – which gives us cereals and bread and pasta and cookies. In Africa, people domesticated soybeans and millet. From people in current day Mexico, we got corn. From present day Peru in South America we got potatoes. From the Eastern Woodland People of North America we got Sunflowers and Squash, among other lesser used plants today. And from east Asia, thousands of years ago, near the Yangzte River in China, we get the gift of rice. And what a gift that has been. Rice is one of the most important and most popular foods in the world.
But with many foods specific to cultures around the world, getting those foods to other cultures required people interacting, sharing, trading, and in more modern cases, bringing their foods to new places. So now, we’re gonna skip ahead a whole lot of time. We’ll jump centuries ahead actually, to talk about how meals of rice and other Chinese foods made their way into modern America.
I love my local Chinese restaurant. I’m a regular there, and the owner lives just down the street from me. And while eating my favorite dish, it made me wonder about the history of Chinese food and Chinese restaurants outside of China. It all starts with – you guessed it – people moving to new lands. And one story that is often told about the rise of Chinese food in America focuses on a man named Chin Foin.
Chin Foin’s family was like thousands of others, who in the mid-1800s fled China for the west coast of America. The Gold Rush was going on in California and that’s where many found work. While Chinese immigrants were tolerated, they weren’t welcomed with open arms. Then when the Transcontinental Railroad was being built, many Chinese immigrants found work laying the tracks heading from the west to the east. It was backbreaking, hard work, and these Chinese workers instrumental to its success, and they often ate rice with added meats and vegetables on lunch breaks. Likewise, many Chinese who stayed in San Francisco during and after the Gold Rush opened small restaurants, mostly serving traditional Chinese fare for other immigrants. Other Americans rarely ate Chinese food.
After the Gold Rush and the Railroad were complete, there were fewer jobs, so many Chinese people found themselves in competition for work with other Americans in the west. This led to violence. And it also led to a national law – the Chinese Exclusion Act. This law from 1882, was the first major law in America to prevent immigration based on nationality – it said no Chinese laborers could come to the United States. It also prevented any Chinese immigrants already in America from becoming citizens. This would include Chin Foin’s family, who had seen the Gold Rush and The Railroad and the struggle for work in the years after. But they persevered and changed America for the better (and tastier).
When Chin was a young man, his family was in search of new opportunity, along with a new place to live, and the World’s Fair of 1893 brought them to Chicago. There the found a big city with few other Chinese immigrants, and saw a possibility for business. It was in Chicago that Chin Foin made his impact – and he did it with Chinese Food.
The low number of Chinese people in Chicago wasn’t a problem in his eyes. He wasn’t looking to feed an immigrant community, he was looking to feed everyone in Chicago. Because who doesn’t love noodles, rice, delectable sauces, mixed with other delicious things? If they didn’t know yet, the people of Chicago would learn how delicious these things can be.
His first restaurants were like many other Chinese restaurants in American cities – on the second floor of buildings, or in the backs of other businesses. This meant someone had to go looking for them. Not great for foot traffic – but if you knew, you knew. And with his first ventures, he did pretty well. Ya gotta start somewhere, but Chin Foin had bigger dreams.
He knew that Chicagoans with money liked to go to the Theatre, the Ballet, The Opera. And he knew that those fancy nights out usually included a meal. So putting a restaurant in the same area as these attractions would be smart. But more importantly, why not make the meals as fancy as the rest of the evening? Of course, many people were unfamiliar with Chinese food, so he like many others, “americanized” some of his dishes. Some of his menu offerings though, might just look like a steakhouse or other traditional restaurant.
His most famous restaurant opened in 1911 and it was called the Mandarin Inn. When you walked in the front door right on S. Wabash Ave, your senses would have been overcome. The smells were amazing, thanks both to the crowded dining room filled with eager eaters with plates of deliciousness, but also because of the open kitchen. Chin knew some people held dim views of Chinese cooking, so with an open kitchen, it was plain to see how clean and healthy the Mandarin Inn was. Speaking of seeing, your eyes would amaze at the lavish decor – plants, fine woods, gilded accents, colorful fabric, and great lighting. Your ears would be met with the sounds of an orchestra, an opera singer, or in many cases, the sound of the pipe organ that Chin Foin had installed for the musical offerings diners would enjoy. Waiters were dressed nicely, but not as nice as the man himself. There in the middle of it all was Chin Foin, wearing a tuxedo, and sometimes a cape to boot. He was a celebrity and his food brought all walks of life. Ladies shopping the loop, arts lovers out for a night on the town, families celebrating a special occasion, politicians, dignitaries, and even, it was said, Chicago crime leader Al Capone himself – a notable fan of Chinese Food.
Alot of times when you go to a fancy-pants restaurant, you eat over a fancy white table cloth. It never made much sense to me, because with sauces and soups and such sliding around or slipping from spoons, stains are impossible not to see. Even still, it’s so common that when describing nice restaurants to someone, it’s common to call a place “white tablecloth” if you want them to know it’s a formal place. It’s been said that Chin Foin was the first restauranter in America to use white table cloths. I doubt that’s true – but he was certainly early on the trend – and it was another way to showcase the quality of the Mandarin Inn.
The Mandarin Inn made a huge impact on Chicago and visitors to the area – it was a must eat destination for food lovers. One big fan was a woman who worked in the neighborhood – her name was Jessie Louise Nolton. She loved the food so much she spoke regularly with Chin and his chefs. She realized that more people were eating and enjoying Chinese food, but many were still unfamiliar. Others wondered about cooking it themselves. So she self-published a book, Chinese Cookery in the Home Kitchen – it was the first Chinese cookbook published in the English Language. Most historians agree that most of the recipes came from Chin and his chefs.
No it may seem unfair that they did not get credit, nor compensation, and that’s probably a correct reaction. However, this cemented Chin Foin’s legacy and impact on the acceptance and love for Chinese food in America. Chin did well – his family lived in one of Chicago’s fanciest neighborhoods – which required him to confront some people’s racism – several tried to keep the Foins out.
I will think of Chin Foin the next time I sit down to eat my favorite Lo Mein dish from my favorite Chinese Restaurant. And I’ll also think about the people thousands of years ago who first bred rice near the Yangtze River. And I guess I’ll think about the ancient Peruvians the next time I eat a potato. And the Folks from the middle east who domesticated wheat the next time I eat toast. You get the idea…
Transcription of Rufus Estes
If you ever write a cookbook, you’ll probably wrack your brain for the perfect title to grab attention, be memorable, and to clearly say exactly what your cookbook is about. But I’m sorry to tell you that you’ll never have the perfect title. That is because in 1911, a man named Rufus Estes self-published a cookbook with the Perfect title. And now that title is taken, so any other cookbook titles can merely be a tribute – to the greatest cookbook title in history. Are you ready? are you sitting down?
Ru ru ru –Rufus, eh-eh-eh-estes
Hi I’m Rufus Estes, and you might know me from my delicious dishes. I’ve fed presidents, princesses, icons and everyday people. And now I’m giving you the result of my years of cooking experience. It’s all right here in my new book, Good Things to Eat. If you’re ever looking for good things to eat, you can learn about all kinds of good things to eat, in the sure to be a smash hit book, Good Things to Eat. Once again, that’s Good Things to eat. (sing that part)
That’s right, “Good Things to Eat.” Actually, there’s a little more to it: Good Things to Eat, As Suggested By Rufus, is the official title of the pivotal cookbook – it is one of the very first written by an African American, and one that left a huge impact on culture. From potatoes to poultry, cakes to steaks, Rufus made it better than nearly anyone, and with his book he gave everyone the proverbial keys to the kitchen.
And the keys were valuable. Rufus was one of the most respected chefs in America, and his resume, the assortment of jobs he had worked and kitchens he had been in charge of, was impressive. Not as impressive as having a few bites of his cooking though. Anyone who was lucky enough to enjoy a Rufus dish certainly, 100%, absolutely responded the same way:
“Oh yum, these are good things to eat.”
I mean, well, probably, right?
Rufus Estes was born in Tennessee in 1857, where his family was enslaved. He was youngest of nine kids, and quite small when the Civil War began. As he said it, nearly all the enslaved men in the “neighborhood for miles around ran off and joined the Yankees.” Because several of his older brothers joined the war, that left him, just a young child, with a lot of responsibility. He remembered, at the age of five, hauling water from a nearby spring, feeding cattle, and tending to young calves. But a few years later, when two of his brothers did not return from the war, he recognized that their deaths deeply affected his mother.
In 1867, after the war and emancipation, the family moved to Nashville to live with his grandmother. Even at a young age, he felt a duty to help his mother, whose health suffered with the grief from her loss. “I thought I could be of better service to her and prolong her life by getting work,” he said. Quite a thought for a young kid. So he milked cows, carried lunches to laborers working fields and earned money however else he could. But at the age of 16, his life took a sharp turn towards his future – his future in food. He got a job at a well-known and fancy restaurant called Hemphill’s. It was here that he learned his first lessons in the art of restaurant deliciousness and laid the groundwork for a career as a chef.
He worked at Hemphill’s until the owner sold it in 1881. Rather than stick around or find a new gig in Nashville, he followed the growing crowds moving up north to Chicago, Illinois. In the Gilded Age, as the time was known, Chicago had grown to be one of America’s most important cities. Thousands of workers moved there for employment and worked incredibly hard for not much money. Plenty of other people in town had a lot of money – and most of those people did not work as hard – or at all. But they liked to eat!
And that’s where Rufus came in. He describes his first job in Chicago as “77 Clark St.” A bit of research suggests that the restaurant at 77 Clark St. was a French restaurant, which was creatively named, The French Restaurant. Maybe the owner’s unimaginative yet crystal clear descriptive restaurant name would be an inspiration for Rufus’s future book title. In his two years as head Line Chef at The French Restaurant, Rufus perfected many Good Things To Eat – and it’s where became an expert saucer. Cucumber Sauce, Gherkin Sauce, Giblet Sauce, Gooseberry Sauce, Rufus was sorcerer with sauces. A sauceror! Horseradish Sauce, Ham Sauce, Sauce A La Metcalf, Royal Sauce, Sauce tartare – even a special Sauce just for Fried Pike. That’s a northern freshwater fish, with a mouth full of teeth, if you don’t know.
Anyway, all of this saucy food led to his most famous job. Rufus Estes, like many other Black men of his time in America, found work with the Pullman Rail Company. George Pullman revolutionized train travel with his famous Pullman Palace Cars – many of which were as nice as fine hotels. He famously employed thousands of African American men, many of them formerly enslaved, as Pullman Porters. The work these men did, despite the racism they often suffered, led to two major things. First, their income put thousands of black families into America’s Middle Class. They bought homes, sent their kids to college, and founded businesses. The Pullman Porters also unionized and became a huge part of the Civil Rights Movement of the mid-1900s. Porters worked as waiters, caretakers, and luggage handlers on the trains and they fought for fair wages and working hours.
But Rufus was behind the scenes. He was a chef – which came with status, but also meant cooking in cramped quarters on a train. As you can imagine, there was not room for a big kitchen in a traincar. But space was of no consequence to Rufus. He could sauce and souffle in a closet with his eyes closed and one arm tied behind his back.
His abilities meant that he was often in charge of the food on the most important and fanciest train cars. Benjamin Harrison and Grover Cleveland both of whom were presidents, enjoyed his food. As did famous actor and brother of an assassin, Edwin Booth. He fed Helena Modjeska. She was a world-famous stage actress in her day and namesake of a still popular and much beloved marshmallow and caramel candy. When Spain’s princess Eulalia came to the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago, she savored his special saucy suppers as she travelled on board a beautiful Pullman Palace car.
As his recipe repertoire grew, so did his accolades. Rufus’s friends began trying to convince him to publish a cookbook. Black cooks had published a few, but none were hits, and none of the authors were professional chefs with a resume like Rufus, so his could certainly stand out.
As you’ll recall from the first half of this episode, 1911, was the year Chinese immigrant Chin Foin opened his famous Mandarin Inn in Chicago. It was also 1911 when Chicagoan Jessie Louise Nolton published the first Chinese cookbook in America, which she based largely on Chin Foin’s famous recipes. Well, in addition, it was this same year again – 1911 – when Rufus Estes self-published his own pivotal cook book – and from the city of Chicago, no less.
Good Things to Eat did not have a lot of specific amounts for ingredients. It was more of a glossary with general directions for hundreds of dishes, – over 600 actually – from stuffed steamed onions and banana sandwiches to baked cherry pudding and broiled mackerel. Alas, there is no recipe for Lava chicken, but there is one for jellied chicken.
Ra ra ra Rufus e e e Estes
Sweet jellied chicken and nose full of smells
Food so delicious it’ll make you yell
Potato Balls, parsnip fritters, cauliflower gratin
Sauces so delicious in Good Things to Eat!
Thanks for indulging me and my kids on that one. And also, I have to tell you: I ran into Jack Black on the sidewalk one time and in suprised excitement said “whoa what’s up dude!?” to him. He was very nice. So we’re practically friends. Just kidding. But I feel like he’d appreciate the tribute. I mean after all, it IS in the name of Rufus and I think we’d all agree Rufus deserves the recognish.
Anyway, after time with the Pullman Rail company, Rufus worked on private cars for wealthy industrialists as well as on ocean liners. This gave him the chance at some international travel. One of his favorite trips was the visit he made to Japan for the Cherry Blossom Festival. After leaving the railroad and travelling life entirely, he worked in restaurants in Los Angeles, California until his passing in 1939.
There wasn’t much fanfare for him at the time. Like I said, he deserves more recognish. But people’s awareness of Rufus Estes and his important place in history has been growing. It’s believed that there are fewer than a dozen original copies of his book in the world. But reproductions are easy to get now, and as it is in public domain, you can find it digitally for free online. It’s a really interesting thing to flip through. I’ll post a link to it on the website and you can have a look to see what sounds familiar, strange, and interesting. There is plenty of deliciousness in Good Things To Eat. So if you’re ever wondering what to have for dinner – I humbly suggest you consider something as suggested by Rufus.
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