The first cookbook to be written and published by a black chef, this volume provides a glimpse into a bygone world. Born a slave in 1857, Rufus Estes became one of Chicago's finest chefs working his way up from a Pullman Private Car attendant to a job preparing meals for the top brass at one of the country's largest steel corporations. While the heart of the book lies in mouth-watering recipes for such dishes as Creole-style chicken gumbo, chestnut stuffing with truffles, and cherry dumplings, the author also comments briefly on his Southern childhood."