Cheers to Champagne & French Fries Day!
A perfect pairing indeed. There’s a ton of info on the internet re: the relatively recent origin of this particular #food & #drink (holi)day” (Including this 2 min youtube video that includes the origin of this particular “holiday”)…
But from my perspective as a co-founder of the James Hemings Society, the pairing has even greater significance:
“ [then enslaved] Hemings trained at the Château de Chantilly, which is considered the best kitchen in pre-Revolutionary France. While Hemings didn’t invent #frenchfries (aka pommes frites in French), he was the first American to make [introduce and thereby greatly help to popularize ] them in this country 🇺🇸 after returning from France🇫🇷.. He is also credited with introducing macaroni and cheese, meringue, firm ice cream, and whipped cream to America...” .”
~ Chef Ashbell McElveen & The James Hemings Society.
As the lead / executive chef for Thomas Jefferson (in Paris France, Philadelphia PA, NY NY and for windows of time at Monticello in VA) part of James’ overall duties and responsibilities would have also included wine service. ‘Properly’ storing, selecting and serving Champagne (the most famous sparkling WINE in the world) was most certainly in his domain of duties …
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Some of the best fries i’ve ever had (reminiscent of how my VA heritage grandmother used to make them) at Parisian-Cameroonian Chef Melanie Delacourt’s delicious place in Park Slope Bklyn called Le Succulent — that I’m sad to say closed in 2023.
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Want to know more about Chef James, America’s first classically trained chef (while held in bondage by Thomas Jefferson) ? To learn more on his surprisingly profound impact on the development of American cuisine, watch this well done documentary (yup, yours truly makes a brief cameo) it’s called: James Hemings: Ghost in America's Kitchen…