Rufus Estes
“One of the pleasures in life . . . is good eating, and if it be true that real happiness consists in making others happy, the author can at least feel a sense of gratification in the thought that his attempts to satisfy the cravings of the inner man have not been wholly unappreciated by the many that he has had the pleasure of serving — some of whom are now his stanchest friends.”
Illustration by Brittanie Mitchell for Seeds & Receipts.
(1857- 1939)
Rufus Estes was born in Tennessee to a family of ten, him being the youngest, however due to the Civil War he was separated from his siblings for the most part. Wanting to take care of his mother he started working at the age of ten doing odd jobs for White families, and by the time he was a teenager he’d started working in kitchens including Hemphill’s Restaurant in Nashville.
By the time he was 24 he moved to Chicago to become a line cook at a French restaurant, and a few years later went on to become a luxury rail car chef for the Pullman Company. Among all of the rail car chefs, Rufus was a favorite among the elite who traveled on the trains due to his culinary skills and attention to details. This would lead to him traveling across continents to countries in Africa, Europe, and Asia, and being in high demand by wealthy business people.
Rufus went on to become one of the first Black chefs to write such an extensive collection of recipes and memories related to cooking in his book Good Things to Eat. In it he would describe his upbringing and life as an elite chef, and include recipes from his Southern-American background alongside more European and French dishes. Towards the end of his life he moved to Los Angeles to work as a restaurant chef until he passed away at 82 years of age.
DIG DEEPER
Rufus Estes: Pullman Chef and Cookbook Author
Michigan State University Biography
Adapted Recipe for Rufus Estes Fried Chicken
Lessons on Black Food History from Rufus Estes “Good Things to Eat”
Afroculinaria Rufus Estes’ Fried Chicken with Michael Twitty
