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United States: pioneer James Hennings rehabilitated by chef Asbell McElveen
Chef Ashbell McElveen.
© Michaël Oliveira Da Costa / RFI
Text by: Michaël Oliveira Da Costa
7 mins
Ashbell McElveen is passionate about cooking and lives with the obsession of a quest that is close to his heart: to make known and recognize the story of James Hemings, chef and one of the essential figures - behind the scenes - of the president of the United States Thomas Jefferson.
His existence had been set aside by the history books because his status as a slave gave him no rights.
Challenged by the subject several years ago, the African-American chef now devotes part of his life to talking about the man who was the very first chef in the history of the country in the 18th century.
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From our correspondent in New York,
Ashbell McElveen is a chef like no other.
His relationship to the kitchen goes beyond the limits of the four walls, the objects found there and the ingredients that make up his dishes.
The chef's passion is also spiritual, and this, since one night when his destiny takes a turn that will change him forever.
This comes more precisely following a culinary event linked to the passion for gastronomy of Thomas Jefferson, the former American president (from 1801 to 1809).
"
Shortly after this event, I was dozing in my bed, and I had a cold sweat, and I heard something say to me, 'but how could you forget me?'
", he says, before adding "
I didn't know what it was at the time, but it was a real eye-opener for me, and I'm sure it was the spirit of James Hemings.
It changed my life forever
.”
For McElveen, a successful chef who has passed through Paris, London and New York and originally from South Carolina, an essential region of American gastronomy with its barbecues and bourbons, his passion for the culinary arts and fine food takes on another dimension.
The quest for the truth about James Hemings becomes an obsession.
He decides to go to Monticello, Virginia, where Thomas Jefferson lived for a good part of his life and where Hemings was in the kitchen in the service of the former president.
He visits the old kitchens of the residence, largely buried or destroyed by time.
“
We found dishes, grills, instruments that Hemings used that were under tons of rubble.
Then I went to the Château de Chantilly to follow in the footsteps of chef Hemings, where his career as a chef began, where he was trained
,” says McElveen, in perfect French.
He embarks, alongside his career as a chef, on a quest to restore the memory and the true story of James Hemings, the first chef in the history of the United States, passed over in silence because a slave. .
Slave and chef for Thomas Jefferson
Born in Virginia in 1765, James Hemings is the fruit of a secret relationship between a slave mother and a British sailor who will leave the country before the birth of his son.
He grew up as a slave under one of the biggest slave figures in the east, Governor Thomas Jefferson, who acquired little Hemings and his mother "
I think James was curious about what was happening in the kitchen, and he saw the maids doing amazing things.
It must have sparked a curiosity about the subject in him
,” McElveen thinks.
When he was 16, Hemings left for France with Jefferson, who forced him to train as a chef at the Château de Chantilly, and thus learn everything about French cuisine, which the future President of the United States loved.
“
He pushed Hemings to learn everything and use him as his chef.
In Paris, Hemings absorbs all the knowledge possible, he amazes his colleagues with his speed of learning and his innovative techniques!
But no one knew he was a slave
,” McElveen points out.
Beyond the culinary experience, the young Hemings discovers freedom.
He can go for walks, is invited to events without Jefferson, "
which must have made him mad with rage!"
laughs McElveen, hangs out with women and participates in Parisian social life.
Everything he is not allowed to do on his native land.
“
James discovered freedom in Paris, and I think it opened his eyes even more to the damage of slavery
,” quotes McElveen, who is constantly researching writings and traveling throughout the United States and France to find traces of Chief Hemings' life.
James Hemings, a legacy as a link between the United States and France
After several years spent in France, Hemings was called back to Virginia, and brought back with him a unique know-how at the time, and several dishes that are still the basis of American cuisine today.
“The gratins, but also the fries, the whipped cream.
Part of French gastronomy arrived here thanks to him,”
underlines McElveen.
But the chief is also interested in the mentality of Hemings, who no longer supports his condition as a slave.
Thomas Jefferson keeps him under his control, but the chief still asks him to go and work in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where slavery is prohibited.
"
James managed to find a temporary way out, but Jefferson called him back a few years later to come back to Virginia
," McElveen said.
Hemings negotiates with Jefferson, and the chef offers to free him after training his younger brother, Peter, to take his place in the kitchen.
The politician accepts, signs a decree declaring his freedom as soon as his mission is finished and Hemings becomes free in 1796. He will travel and live for a few years before committing suicide in 1801, at the age of 36.
Beyond the treatment and exploitation he suffered, Hemings' life has been forgotten by historians of the time, "[Jefferson]
destroyed the image, the life of Hemings, and this kind of story is all too common in our country.
It is absolutely necessary to shed light on the truth
, ” fumes McElveen.
A source of inspiration
The chef, who has carried out permanent research on the subject and created the James Hemings Society, performs “
a duty of memory, to enhance his cultural heritage forever
”, thanks to various initiatives.
First, he attends cooking events to talk about Hemings.
He is constantly approached by several African-American chefs, who want to know more about him.
“
Young chefs and those interested in cooking are extremely curious, but above all inspired by the story of Hemings.
Younger generations realize that a guy like him was able to become the leader of the most powerful man in the United States, while being a slave
, ”he says.
In addition to his meetings and discussions with his peers, McElveen is also working on the creation of a documentary trilogy on the journey and impact of Hemings in American cuisine, with a first part which was screened in preview there a few weeks in New York, and whose name is
Ghost in America's kitchen
(A ghost in the American kitchen) and which will be followed by a second part,
James Hemings in Paris
(James Hemings in Paris), and finally, to close ,
A patriot's return to slavery
.
"
It's a visual project to reach as many people as possible, to illustrate and finally highlight the life, the impact of James Hemings on American culture, but also on his inspiration and the fact that he made known many things about French cuisine in the United States.
He deserves all the recognition and credit for that, he also set up the very first cooking school in the country in 1793, he is a pioneer!
".
Nearly 250 years later, the memory of Hemings lives more than ever in the foreground thanks to the actions of Ashbell McElveen, but for the leader, the mission goes beyond the simple story of the slave who became the very first country chef.
“
These kinds of stories must be told and not erase the stories of people from minorities who have marked the history of this country, like James Hemings
”.
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