Turns out that National French Fries Day isn’t fixed to a single date anymore.
It used to be on July 13th each year, but now it falls on the second Friday of July—thanks to fast food chains like Checkers and Rally’s, who petitioned the National Day Calendar so it would always fall on a Friday. Makes sense in terms of tying it to a day to maximize fry sales i suppose…
On whatever day National French Fries Day falls — if you love French fries like most Americans — we should all say a heartfelt THANK YOU to (Chef!) James Hemings — America’s first classically trained chef de cuisine of any hue — who was born enslaved , owned by Thomas Jefferson for most of his young life, but died a free man at the age of 36.
Most of the french fries featured in thie mini vid above are from @Le.Succulent. BEST French fries I’d had in a really long time. Soooo sad that this Park Slope African-French Fusion Restaurant recently closed its doors for good 😢… As have the two other local businesses run by amazing Black women — Chef Heather Johnston’s beloved wine shop, Good Wine and the beautiful Bon Bon Lakay by Haitian heritage Chef Edgina Désormeaux…. Sadly that’s the way capitalism seems to always go for underfunded women-owned businesses —particularly for women of color…
But for now, BACK TO JAMES: After rigorously learning & mastering the French culinary arts in Paris during Jefferson’s appointment there (1784-1789), then-enslaved Chef James Hemings returned to America as our nation’s first classically trained Chef de Cuisine. He introduced and thereby helped popularize once UNfamiliar dishes (hard to believe french fries werent always common!) that are now mainstay American faves like: macaroni & cheese!, ice cream!!, crème brulée, meringues, whipped cream… and yes FRENCH FRIES!…in fact most of these dishes he’s known for have a food holiday THIS very MONTH of JULY!… which I’ve started to refer to as to “James Hemings’ July,” accordingly — including Bastille Day upcoming on July 14th — considering hat James Hemings was THERE along with Thomas Jefferson when that all went down in July of 1789! ….
How do you like your French fries?!
Plain (salt only) ? …Loaded? (e.g., bacon! 🥓, cheese! 🧀, chives etc. — “the works” ) with catchup? With mayo like the Belgians?…with Dijon (my fave!)…? Definitely the latter for me — although I ain’t mad at plain (hot, fresh, delish! fries) nor loaded either (with good quality toppings!) … pls add your COMMENTs below , thanks!!
***************************************
July 10th is “Pick Blueberries Day” too — Which, Unlike French Fries Day Falls on July 10th EVERY Year….
So let’s segue to “Happy Pick Blueberries 🫐 Day” ! No doubt Chef James made amazing things with blueberries served on Thomas Jefferson’s many tables (in Paris France, as well as at Monticello in Virginia and residences in both Philadelphia and New York) — and perhaps the taverns he cheffed at in Baltimore and elsewhere during his few years of freedom….by effortlessly blending classical French pastry techniques with local American fruit to create sophisticated tarts and compotes fit for the transatlantic elite.
👆🏽 📸 [original photography via me / TFG] Amidst the berry filled pancakes, desserts and drinks are fond photo memories from that time I took care of my nearby neighbor friend’s roof top garden that fateful Summer of 2020. What a big ‘ol blueberry-bejeweled blessing to have had access to an outside aesthetic AND edible garden all Summer long — that year of all years no less. An urban oasis of sorts to offset so many stressors including staying alive and healthy while working as an NYC wine shop retail employee with a team of coworkers — all of us designated as“essential” workers at my friend Heather’s boutique store, Good Wine — which was at the time my main /ONLY anchor gig) …
Tending to that awesome garden is why I even have beauty shots of BLUEBERRIES GROWING in BROOKLYN — yup that I PICKED and added to my breakfast, and beverages (yes - you know by now that some of them had BOOZE in them). I didn’t even know there was a “Pick Blueberries” Day at the time. But I did know it was a beautiful moment , ‘capture’ as best i could to possibly share some day.
Hopefully there’ll be future reasons to post more positive memories from that bitter sweet time. But for now, enjoy my blueberries beauty shots!…( Are there days like there for other fruits too likeapples and strawberries? Let me know if you stumble upon any of them)
🖇️ Check out my 🔗 LINKTREE for myriad ways to see what’s going on at a glance
find more FREE calendar content here 👈🏾