February is Black History Month, which is also known as African American History Month. This month we remember, pay tribute to, and celebrate important people and events in the African diaspora’s history. Some notable individuals are inventors who significantly contributed to society with their creativity. Did you know this includes many African Americans that have food-related innovations?
Food plays an essential role in family interactions and culture. With this year’s Black History Month theme being The Black Family: Representation, Identity, and Diversity, what better way to celebrate than to learn about food inventors, have fun in the kitchen, and enjoy the creations together as a family afterward. Take the opportunity to pay tribute to key figures in history while also building on your relationship with your kids this month. Read on to learn about five key figures in history who changed the way we eat and cook.
Worksheets for kids to learn about Black History Month inventors will be on the Black History Month Resources page.
Remind your kid that they can be anything they want, including that they are creative, wise, and ambitious with our I AM T-shirt. Available for purchase in black, red, and white.
Alfred Cralle: Ice-Cream Scoop
Alfred Cralle was born in Wesley Chapel, Florida, in 1866, just after the American Civil War. He later settled in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he worked as a porter in a hotel drug store. While watching the servers at the hotel struggle to use two different spoons to get ice-cream into cones, he came up with an idea for the ice-cream scoop.
In 1897 he got a patent for the "Ice Cream Mold and Disher." He became the first African American in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to receive a patent for an invention. The “Ice Cream Mold Disher” allowed people to scoop ice-cream with just one hand. We still use similar designs today.
John Standard: Upgraded Stoves
John Standard is from Newark, New Jersey, and was born in 1868. He worked on improvements to the home kitchen and is known for having two patents. He improved the fridge to have a manually filled ice-chamber and got a patent for it in 1891.
In 1889, John Standard designed an upgraded version of the oil stove. His design was able to be used in areas with limited space like buffets on trains. Today, we use similar stoves at weddings, receptions, meetings, buffets, and parties.
Joseph Lee: Bread Machines
Joseph Lee was born in 1849 to slaves and spent most of his childhood in bondage. He eventually worked in the U.S Coast Survey as a steward and focused his efforts on bread making. Joseph Lee lived most of his life in Boston, Massachusetts, and owned two successful restaurants. He also held and managed the Woodland Park Hotel in Newton, Massachusetts.
Joseph Lee created ideas for two bread machines. One was patented in 1895 and made bread crumbs from day-old bread. Bread crumbs can be used for different dishes. The other was invented in 1902 to knead bread faster and cleaner to create higher quality bread. This automated bread machine that mixed and kneaded dough is the foundation of many mixers still used in kitchens today.
George Crum: Potato Chips
In 1824, George Crum was born in Saratoga County, New York, as George Speck. George Crum worked at a restaurant on Saratoga Lake and later opened his own establishment. There are various stories about how the potato chip came to be. The most famous one is that, in 1853, George Crum cut a potato very thin to serve a customer who ordered extra thin french fries. The customer kept sending the fries back to the kitchen until they were thin enough and become potato chips.
Although George Crum and his restaurant are known to have created the potato chip in America, most sources indicate that his sister, Catherine Wicks, accidentally made it in the kitchen at George Crum's restaurant. Catherine Wicks said she chipped off a piece of potato, it fell into the pan, and when she took it out, her brother tasted it and declared they would serve them.
Whichever is right, George Crum initially called potato chips "Saratoga Chips" and served them at every table of his restaurant. Potato chips became a grocery store product in 1895 and are still a favorite food item today.
Alexander P. Ashbourne: Biscuit Cutter
Alexander P. Ashbourne was born into slavery around 1820 in Philadelphia. In the 1880s, he moved to Oakland, California, and became a grocery store owner. Alexander P. Ashbourne invented a biscuit cutter patented in 1876.
Before Alexander P. Ashbourne invented the biscuit cutter, cooks would have to roll out and shape biscuits by hand. His invention was a board for rolling biscuit dough connected to a metal plate with biscuit cutter shapes. It made the process faster, easier, and created same-size biscuits.
Alexander P. Ashbourne is also known for inventing processes to prepare, treat, and refine coconut oil accessible for domestic use. He received a patent for this in 1877.
Ideas For Hands-On Learning: Crafts and Recipes
Take some family time to celebrate Black History Month with your kids using these ideas for a hands-on experience associated with the inventions above.
Easy Recipes for Biscuits and Bread
Show your kids how to knead the dough by hand while explaining how Joseph Lee's invention made the process faster and easier. Check out a recipe for Buttery Biscuits on Kidstir.
Busy Toddler offers an easy Bread in a Bag recipe for Toddlers that, yes, is all done in a bag!
Make Homemade Ice-Cream in a Bag
The Best Ideas For Kids has an Ice-Cream in a Bag recipe with only five ingredients. This easy way to make ice cream can be a fun learning experience and exercise for kids while learning about Alfred Cralle.
Fun and Creative Ice-Cream Crafts
Let your kids get creative with these great craft ideas listed below. Combine it with the recipe above, and you can have a mini ice-cream party with their homemade ice-cream.
- Egg Carton Ice Cream Cones by In The Playroom
- Free Printable Ice-Cream Cone Garland by Hello, Wonderful
- DIY Ice-Cream Cone Balloons by Evite
- Handprint Ice-Cream Cone Craft by Crafty Morning
Purchase the Potato Chip Bag Book
Teachers Pay Teachers has a printable craft book on George Crum and the potato chip. It includes blank pages for kids to write in and activity pages like designing your own chip flavor. You can purchase it in two sizes: "individual size" or "sharing size."
Summary
Download Black Inventors PDF
For a black and white printer-friendly version and additional resources, visit our Black History Month Resources page.
Remind your kid that they can be anything they want, including that they are creative, wise, and ambitious with our I AM T-shirt. Available for purchase in black, red, and white.