Sarah Helen Mahammitt
Sarah Helen Mahammitt | |
|---|---|
| Born | c1873 Canada or Michigan |
| Died | November 26, 1956 Omaha, Nebraska, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Caterer, Author |
| Spouse | Thomas P. Mahammitt |
Sarah Helen Bradley Toliver Mahammitt (c1873 - November 26, 1956) was an caterer, chef, and author of cookbooks in Omaha, Nebraska. She studied at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris 1927, and sought to bring formal, European style cooking to African-American women in Omaha.
Life
Sarah Helen B. Toliver was born about 1873 to James H. Toliver and Sarah A. (Bently) Toliver. Sarah Bently's father, Reuben, was from Culpepper, Virginia and she was born in St. Thomas, Ontario. James Tolliver was born in Covington, Kentucky, and went to Amherstburg, Ontario in the early 1850s, later to move to Ann Arbor, Michigan. Helen was born either in Canada or Michigan.
Helen married Thomas P. Mahammitt on may 25, 1904 in Des Moines, Iowa. She died November 26, 1956.[1]. Her funeral was at St. Philips Episcopal Church and she was buried at Forest Lawn Cemetery[2].
Career
Thomas worked as a caterer, and Helen joined in. In 1910, Mahammitt traveled to Boston and attended Miss Farmer's Catering School. She catered many major Omaha events, including, for example, the wedding of Violet Joslyn and David Walter Magowan on Thursday, October 16th, 1913 at Joslyn Castle[3]. Intending to retire, she traveled to Paris in June, 1927 on a planned vacation. She visited Le Courdon Bleu and was taken with the school, enrolling in a course. She learned French while taking classes and was inspired to continue working and to teach cooking when she got back to Omaha.[4] She offered cooking and catering classes in Omaha, often free of charge[5]. She also endorsed Omar Cake Mixes[6]. She retired in 1950, when her husband died[1].
In 1939, she published a cookbook, Recipes and Domestic Service: The Mahammitt School of Cookery. Mahammitt's forward focused tellingly on her own experience and training, and her interest in passing her skills on to others. The book focused mostly on non-southern fare including, self-consciously avoiding food associated with poor blacks or southern slave culture. She did recognize the racial aspect of her work, noting the need to be "diplomatic" at times and to "be tactful in bringing your superior knowledge into play" when interacting with white clientele, and that the black cook should pay attention to the maintenance of white client's standing[7]
Bibliography
- Recipes and Domestic Service: The Mahammitt School of Cookery, Omaha, 1939
References
- ^ a b Leading City Caterer Dies. Omaha World-Herald (Omaha, Nebraska). November 27, 1956. Page: 14
- ^ Obituaries. Omaha World-Herald (Omaha, Nebraska). Tuesday, November 27, 1956. Page: 27
- ^ Early Coronation Suppers Served on Den's Balcony. Omaha World-Herald (Omaha, Nebraska). Sunday, October 25, 1953. Page: 68
- ^ Cateress Who Studied Art in Paris Plans to Open Cooking School Here. Omaha World-Herald (Omaha, Nebraska). Wednesday, November 30, 1927. Page: 12
- ^ Open Catering Class. Omaha World-Herald (Omaha, Nebraska). Thursday, September 20, 1934. Page: 9
- ^ [Advertisement]. Omaha World-Herald (Omaha, Nebraska). Tuesday, October 12, 1948 Page: 9
- ^ Wallach, Jennifer Jensen. Dethroning the Deceitful Pork Chop: Rethinking African American Foodways from Slavery to Obama. University of Arkansas Press, Aug 1, 2015, pages 34-37