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That honor, actually, is claimed for his sister, Kate Wicks. Though his was still in the Saratoga Springs area, the prices were the same as restaurants in Manhattan – and people were willing to wait in line to eat his cuisine and snack on the baskets of potato chips on the tables in his establishment.īut does that prove he didn’t invent the potato chip as we know it? This is where it gets interesting.Ĭrum likely had something to do with the popularity of Saratoga Chips, though in his 1893 biography he isn’t credited with inventing them and in his obituary he isn’t mentioned as the creator of the potato chip. Eventually the man’s reputation as a masterful chef gave him the ability to open his own restaurant simply called “Crums” by 1860. From what the historians say, he didn’t give the wealthy any better service than anyone else, and that his service was impeccable.Īt Cary Moon’s Lake House, he cooked with his sister, Catherine “Aunt Kate” Wicks. The wealthy and well-to-do alike would wait hours to eat meals prepared by the chef – including Cornelius Vanderbilt. Though his skill as a hunter was likely sought after by the wealthy New York sportsmen of the day, his skills in the kitchen are what made him famous. What we do know is true is that George Crum was a well-respected hunter, guide and chef in the Adirondacks who’s heritage was a mix of local Native American (Oneida, Stockbridge or Mohawk tribes) and mulatto. Plus, the story of how the potato chip came about trying to please Cornelius Vanderbilt was actually part of a 1973 ad campaign from the St Regis Paper Company, who manufactured the packaging for Saratoga Chips – the potato crisps that went on to be the snack we love. What’s in question is the events of this story and who really should be credited with inventing the potato chip.ĭid George Crum invent the potato chip? That’s tough to say, as there was a recipe to something similar to potato chips in William Kitchiner ’s 1822 edition of his best-selling cookbook “ The Cook’s Oracle ”. What is true is that George “Crum” Speck did fry up wafer thin potatoes and serve them to customers at Moon’s Lake House in 1853.
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Like most things in life, the truth is harder to pin down than the myth.
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To this date, the legend remains that George Crum was the chef who created the potato chip, a snack that would go on to create the cultivation of chipping potatoes and spawn a world-wide snacking sensation. This delighted the customer – as well as the owner of the dinner house – and the rest is history. After the French fries were sent back a couple of times for being too soggy and under-salted, the frustrated chef sliced the potatoes as thin as possible, fried them until they were crisp and sent them out. The diner wanted the potatoes cut as thin as the French do for their fries (hence the word “french fries”). When the batch came out, the customer, often credited as being well-known rich guy Cornelius Vanderbilt, sent them back. A wealthy customer was dining at Moon’s Lake House and ordered French-fried potatoes. If you’re unaware of the legend of the potato chip’s creation, it starts in the mid-1800’s in Saratoga Springs, New York. If it weren’t for a notorious chef of African American and Native American ancestry, we may not be enjoying this crunchy snack nor the legend that comes with it. Though National Potato Chip Day is celebrated in March, it’s hard to separate the creation of the potato chip from Black History Month. George “Crum” Speck and Katie Wicks, Creators of the Potato Chip (photo source Wikimedia Commons)