Mary Randolph

Born on August 9, 1762, in Virginia, she came from the prominent Randolph family and later married David Meade Randolph. She is best known as the author of The Virginia House-Wife (1824), a book that gathered recipes, household guidance, and culinary knowledge from the early American South.

Her cookbook stood out for being organized, practical, and clearly written, which helped it reach a wide audience. It has often been described as an important early American cookbook, not only for its recipes but also for what it preserves about domestic life, ingredients, and food traditions in the early United States.

She died on January 23, 1828. Today, she is remembered as a major figure in American culinary history, especially for turning lived household knowledge into a book that continued to influence cooks long after her lifetime.