WHY "James Hemings’ JULY"?! ☀️🍟🍦🍨🍮
FYI: Here’s Why I Established #JamesHemingsJULY! … by Tonya Hopkins aka @TheFoodGriot
“🇺🇸 July 4th 🎆 only marked the start — the official & formalized spark. . . . what I do and call “applied culinary history” can powerfully serve as cultural intelligence and strategic capital for chefs, bartenders and professionals in the hospitality industry as well as for places and products throughout the wider food & beverage ecosystem”.
Not only is the entire month of July “National Culinary Arts Month” and ICE CREAM month! . . . it also just happens to be jam-packed with nearly each of the food (holi)days that correspond to the documented dishes James Hemings is credited with having introduced and popularized in America. We’re talking: French Fries, Mac and Cheese, Vanilla Ice Cream, Crème Brûlée, Snow Eggs, Meringues, Whipped Cream, and the precursor to Baked Alaska (i.e. ice cream encased in a hot, baked pastry crust). Note the word “documented” —because that word alone hides a massive systemic erasure. Jefferson controlled the narrative — which means we only know about whatever left a paper trail in his ledger books.
This July spotlight is the direct continuation of the historic June 20th "Dinner Table Compromise" —the legendary, multi-course, history-making dinner Hemings so excellently cheffed that it literally held a fractured nation together [and a defining moment where James absolutely should have been included, or at the very least mentioned, in “The Room Where it Happened” scene in Hamilton: An American Musical! ]
And in the spirit of giving flowers where they are long overdue, I'd be remiss if I didn't say upfront that it was Chef Ashbell McElveen who first broke that silence, publicly restoring James' full story and context to the world. Driven by the profound realization that Hemings was a literal ghost in America’s kitchens, Ashbell laid the foundation for his legacy to be known. A groundwork I’ve since spent years digging into more deeply, discovering, unearthing, and polishing even more of the insightful (and sometimes surprising!) gold nuggets and rare gems I've found along the way— applying a consistent dot-connecting approach that maps cosmic chronological occurrences and intersections that have revealed so many “hidden in plain sight” coincidences. In so doing, I’m honored to actively address and undo historical erasures and help to bring James Hemings’ story even more vividly to life.:
🕵🏽♂️ Why Do We Only Know of These Documented Dishes ? :
In a nutshell, James was shortchanged —which ultimately shortchanged us all. Thomas Jefferson’s letters and inventory lists are the only reason these specific “July holiday” dishes are credited to James. But — no surprise — James’ true influence is waaay bigger than this handful of ‘documented,’ dairy-driven recipes.
Jefferson documented these culinary creations in particular because they were innovative novelties at that time—marvels to behold and consume. Dishes like these required a skillful balance and mastery of science and art—an engineering of sorts requiring applied knowledge to control temperatures, employ cutting-edge techniques, and manipulate the laws of physics—in colonial-era kitchens hampered by crude equipment. All that and then some—long before an industrialized “modern” food system would figure out how to mass-produce what is mostly served to us today—commercialized facsimiles of what were once elite, handcrafted culinary masterpieces.
Impeccable delivery of ‘marvel’ dishes like these elevated and sustained Jefferson’s personal social status among his circle of global elites. SO . . . documenting them would empower him to demystify and ultimately duplicate them (for himself— and to consistently impress VIP dinner guests of course) … enabling him to not only crack the code on how they were done but to also ensure he could have them executed on his behalf in the future — with or without James. And in doing so, Jefferson was also tracking the expensive, luxury assets (cream, sugar, VANILLA — which were all VERY expensive). . .
🍳 Bigger Picture: James Facilitated American Fine Dining as We Know it . . .
These July holiday dishes are only a fraction of James’ genius that we see through a tiny keyhole built by his “freedom fighting” enslaver. It’s also important to understand that Hemings didn't just cook; he also sparked and helped initiate an entire industry that would become the modern kitchen stove setups we use today — in order to execute complex yet delicate French sauces. As a brilliant, bilingual master chef who trained in Paris for five years and hired a French tutor to master the language and all its nuances, James’ French-Virginian culinary fusion fundamentally altered the trajectory of how American cuisine and fine dining would develop…
🎆 Cosmic Connections: July’s America’s 🇺🇸, France’s 🇫🇷 , MY 🎂 (and now James’!) Month too . . .
For whatever cosmic-coincidence reasons, these now ubiquitous dishes have designated food days throughout July —the same month as our American 4th of July 🇺🇸,“birthday” AND France’s 🇫🇷 14th of July Bastille Day —key dates symbolizing two of the most defining revolutions in western hemisphere history— each of which James Hemings stood at the center of , witnessing first hand in real time. . .
July ‘s also MY birthday month (b. July 3rd , aka “Independence Day Eve”). I’ve oft reflected and written about institutional slavery’s dehumanizing practice to intentionally not acknowledge, document, nor celebrate birthdays of the enslaved—including James, who’s recorded as born in 1765, but his actual birthdate is unknown. Given all the decadent deliciousness he’s shared with us — with a bulk of those dishes serendipitously celebrated as July food holidays today — I’m more than happy , honored in fact, to share “my” month with James too. So without further ado, I present to you the curated dates behind #JamesHemingsJuly:
• July 4th 🇺🇸— Independence Day
The ultimate historical irony: James Hemings was "owned" by the very man who penned the declaration that all men are created equal. While this then-new nation declared and determined its uncertain path toward freedom, Jefferson’s legalized entitlement to and perceived control of James’ genius, skills, and talents all but erased one of our nation’s most significant Founding Fathers of American Foodways and Fine Dining. How can we fully celebrate American Independence without acknowledging and honoring the contradiction and injustice that patriots like James were denied their own?
• July 7th🇺🇸 🇫🇷 🇬🇧🇮🇹🇨🇳— Macaroni Day
Long before it became an American staple, James was mastering the art of handmade pasta in Paris. He brought that specialized knowledge back across the Atlantic, laying the groundwork for a comfort food revolution.
• Fri July 10h in 2026 🇫🇷— French Fries Day
He transformed the humble potato into golden, shimmering rods of perfection—shatteringly crisp exteriors with tender steamy hot potato on the inside. James brought this technique straight from high-end Parisian kitchens, single-handedly setting the stage for what would become America’s ultimate side dish. . .
• July 14th🇺🇸 🇫🇷— Macaroni & Cheese Day & Bastille Day:
In Paris, cooking for notable figures like the Marquis de Lafayette and Marie Antoinette (consistently intersecting with her royal circle, even though Thomas Jefferson himself never dined with her), James Hemings was right there when the storming of the Bastille ignited the French Revolution on July 14, 1789. He was doing what a master chef does—procuring, prepping, executing—while history erupted in the streets around him. Coincidentally, July 14th is now also Macaroni & Cheese Day in America. James took the elite, creamy French culinary techniques he mastered and married them with simpler baked pasta dishes, creating the cross-cultural masterpiece that redefined American comfort food forever. (Today’s a double celebration, as it's also the birthday of brilliant contemporary Chef Tanya Holland — who recently launched a UVA course in 2026 called “From Hemings to Holland: African American French-Trained Chefs with VA Roots, adding yet another layer of synergy which makes the timing of this day even more powerful!
• July 23rd 🇺🇸 🇫🇷— Vanilla Ice Cream Day (Plus: All of July is National Ice Cream Month!) While this date honors the ultimate canvas—Vanilla—the entire month of July’s a non-stop ice cream celebration, with a sweet lineup like Creative Ice Cream Flavor Day (July 1st), Peach Ice Cream Day (July 17th), National Ice Cream Day (July 19th), and Hot Fudge Sundae Day (July 25th). James Hemings mastered the intense, finicky chemistry of freezing custards using hand-cranked molds and ice houses in Paris, and by conquering this rare, aristocratic luxury and bringing it home, he sparked the exact lineage of craft that would ultimately democratize ice cream in America. A once elite secret became a now near universal joy.
• July 27th 🇫🇷— Crème Brûlée Day
This is where his mastery of the pastry station truly shined. Perfecting that signature burnt-sugar crust required intense heat control and flawless technique, cementing his status as a world-class chef.
CTA for Culinary professionals, restaurateurs, bar buyers, cultural programmers, brand strategists, and more: no surprise July’s always a wonderful window for celebrating America’s major milestones—especially via creative twists on iconic drinks & dishes—spotlighting the ones developed by our nation’s first classically trained chef—who was such an integral part of our nation’s narrative, quietly serving as an invisible yet profoundly influential architect of our collective American food identity.
• ACCESS: . . . What I do and refer to as “applied culinary history” functions as cultural intelligence and strategic capital for chefs, bartenders and professionals in the hospitality industry — and for places, products and brands throughout the wider food & beverage ecosystem. When you’re ready to unleash the power of hidden history — let’s make this timeless magic happen for you too ✨ 🥂 ✨ …👉 Contact 👈 me directly .
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AND REMEMBER: 🇺🇸 July 4th 🎆 only marked the start, the official & formalized spark….
Access Opportunities to Commemorate & Celebrate MANY of 🇺🇸 America’s 250th Milestones 🎆🎂 with Revolutionary FOOD & DRINK…
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