Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826) was born on 13 April 1743 at Shadwell, Albemarle County, Virginia, and died on the Fourth of July 1826 at Monticello. He penned the Declaration of Independence, championed the cause of separation of church and state, served as ambassador to France from the United States (1785–1789), and became the third president of the United States, serving two terms (1801–1809). He was also a most illustrious epicure and may be said to have introduced elements of eighteenth-century royalist cuisine to America, this by two paths: During his years in Paris (1784–1789) he had the enslaved James Hemings trained as a chef, who in turn trained his brother Peter. Further, during his terms of presidency, Étienne LeMaire and Honoré Julien served Jefferson in their respective capacities as maître d’hôtel and chef de cuisine; Edy, described as Mr. Jefferson’s “favorite cook,” learned her craft in the kitchen of the President’s House. Recipes attributed to LeMaire and Julien “turn up” in the culinary manuscripts kept in later years by Jefferson’s granddaughters and great-granddaughter. Those attributed to LeMaire, in particular, confirm Jefferson’s detailed descriptions of many dishes, these in his own hand.
