Can I start off with saying happy new month!
How many of us love a good crispy crunch? Over here guys!
I’ve been intrigued with the idea of foods for a while now,staying up late to watch recipes,(that I mostly never make)varieties of sides to go with and generally the mass acceptance of foods.
Have you ever thought of the origin of potato chips? True, potato is a vegetable but how genius of a versatile food is this?!
Therefore a quick rewind into history of how it all started and gratitude if you may. You’d be marveled as I was to know that it was truly one of our own GEORGE SPECK, a black man who spearheaded this culinary idea.
George Speck was born to parents Abraham Speck and Diana Tull on July 15 1824. He grew up in Upstate New York and was hired in Moon’s Lake House in the 1950s as an African- American chef. A high-end restaurant that catered to wealthy Manhattan families. A regular patron who consistently forgot George’s surname had information relayed to him as “Crum” A name that came to stay- George Crum
Per various research and according to coherent popular legend, the potato chip was invented when a “picky customer” consistently sent back orders of French fries with the theme of thick a slice. Frustratingly, by all accounts, somewhat of a sarcastic man, George sliced them paper size thin in an attempt also to seek revenge seasoning with lots of salt, ready to deep fry in grease and achieving a golden brown look to the food.
Well the “picky customer” loved it! An unexpected reaction that is. Soon the Moon Lake House gained popularity for this and became well known for their “Saratoga Chips”
The fine details surrounding the invention of the popular snack is somewhat hazy but all signs point to our guy George Crum. The reaction was unexpected as other guests began asking for them as well. As soon, the “Saratoga Chips” became one of the restaurants most popular treats.
A number of notable accounts have disputed Crum’s culinary innovation insisting that a number of cook books had already stated the formula( But why not? They never want to give us the credence we are due). Deliberately or not, several reports would rather skip this innovation and curiously not mention the idea or anything close to it. His sister, Kate, who worked alongside him as a prep cook stated to have been the founder who allowed her brother to taste and intrigued by it and by his enthusiastic approval, led him to serve it.
In 1860 George opened his own restaurant in a building in Malta Avenue near Saratoga Lake and within a few years he was catering wealthy clients as well. One of the restaurants attractions was that a basket of potato chips was placed on every table. The restaurant closed in 1890 and he died at age 92 on July 22,1914.
Crum never patented or attempted to put his innovation on store shelves. In 1895, a man named William Tappendon began making potato chips to local grocery stores at first in his kitchen and then a makeshift factory. Soon grocers in numerous areas in the United States were selling chips in bulk. From barrels or display cases.
In 1926, Laura Scudder came up with the idea of paper bags for marketing and thus the “bag of chips concept.” The first successful national marketing idea was founded by Herman Lay, a phenomenal feat.
Every time a person crunches into a potato chip, whether a variety of Lays or our regular plantain chips, he or she is indirectly sharing black greatness and showing gratitude for this amazing treat -one that might not exist without the contribution of our legend “Crum”
Thank you sir!
Ours 