Rufus Estes

author

Rufus Estes

b. 1857

Born into slavery in Tennessee, this pioneering chef built a remarkable career on luxury railroad cars and later turned his experience into one of the earliest cookbooks by an African American. His writing offers a vivid look at fine dining, ambition, and Black culinary history in the early 20th century.

1 Audiobook

Good Things to Eat, as Suggested by Rufus A Collection of Practical Recipes for Preparing Meats, Game, Fowl, Fish, Puddings, Pastries, Etc.

Good Things to Eat, as Suggested by Rufus A Collection of Practical Recipes for Preparing Meats, Game, Fowl, Fish, Puddings, Pastries, Etc.

by Rufus Estes

About the author

He was born around 1857 in Tennessee and was enslaved as a child. After emancipation, he worked his way into professional cooking and eventually became known for his skill as a chef.

Much of his career was spent with the Pullman Company, where he cooked aboard private railway cars for wealthy and powerful passengers. In 1911, he published Good Things to Eat, a cookbook that drew on years of experience and became an important early work in African American food writing.

His life story is especially striking because it connects personal determination with a changing America: from slavery and Reconstruction to the world of luxury travel, industry, and published authorship. Today, he is remembered not only for his recipes, but also for the window he provides into Black culinary achievement in his era.