Fuelling the Presidency: African American Cooks in the White House

The Feast

Zephyr Wright (left) & Laura Dollie Johnson (right) This week, we're exploring the unsung history of African American cooks in the White House with soul food scholar, Adrian E. Miller, author of "The President's Kitchen Cabinet: The Story of the African Americans Who Have Fed Our First Families, from the Washingtons to the Obamas". Join us as we uncover the history of two formidable women who put their stamp on American history through their cooking. We'll look at the life of Laura Dollie Johnson, who cooked for not just one US president, but two! Learn how her food made newspaper headlines throughout the 1880s and 1890s. And we'll explore the career of the formidable Zephyr Wright, who may have been the only person who dared to tell President Lyndon Baines Johnson to stick to his diet. Learn how her recipe for Texas chili started a national crisis about beans! Written and Produced by Laura CarlsonTechnical Direction by Mike PorttSpecial Guest: Adrian E. Miller, author of The President's Kitchen Cabinet: The Story of the African Americans who have fed our First Families from the Washingtons to the ObamasDon't forget to fill out our listener rewards survey- available here until September 22nd!Learn more about Adrian Miller's work, this week's episode soundtrack as well as some iconic recipes by Laura Johnson and Zephyr Wright on our show notes. Show Notes | Find on iTunes | Other Players

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices