Rufus Estes

After the Civil War, Rufus Estes found work at a restaurant and, when he was just 26, was put in charge of a luxurious Pullman dining car. He cooked for the line's most important passengers and in 1894 traveled to Tokyo as private chef for a wealthy family. When he returned to the United States, he took charge of the private rail car owned by millionaire entrepreneur Arthur Stilwell. In 1907, Estes became the chef of the Chicago Subsidiary of U.S. Steel. In the foreword to"Good Things to Eat," he called the book the child of his "brain and experience," and said he hoped his dishes would "with equal grace, adorn the home table or banquet board." His recipes ranged from game birds to gumbo, from pigs' feet to parfaits and included such fine dining dishes as "white soup," soufflés, and delicacies such as candied violets. The book was reprinted in 1999.