Discover the inspiring story of Augustus Jackson, an African American
entrepreneur who is known as "the father of ice cream," in this
beautifully illustrated picture-book biography.
Augustus Jackson was born in 1808 in Philadelphia. While most African
Americans were enslaved at that time, in Pennsylvania, slavery was
against the law. But while Augustus and his family were free, they were
poor, and they depended on their garden and their chickens for food.
Augustus enjoyed helping his mom prepare meals for their family. He
dreamed of becoming a professional cook, and when his mom suggested he
may be able to make meals for the president one day, Augustus didn't
waste any time in making that dream a reality. In 1820, when he was only
twelve years old, he set off for Washington, DC. He applied to work in
the White House, where the head cook offered him a job as a kitchen
helper. After five years of working hard, Augustus, or Gus, was
promoted to cook. He went on to serve presidents James Monroe, John
Quincy Adams, and Andrew Jackson.
During his time at the White House, Augustus became an expert at making
a popular egg-based dessert. He soon made an eggless version--known to
us today as ice cream--and left the White House determined to make and
sell the frozen treat to everyone, not just the wealthy. Gus headed back
home to Philadelphia, and in 1830, he opened his very own ice cream
parlor. He devised a way to keep the ice cream frozen so that it could
be shipped and sold to other businesses. Gus also began adding rock salt
to the ice that he used to make his ice cream, which made the mixture
freeze more quickly. This allowed him to speed up his production
process. He created more ice cream with new flavors, and soon he was
shipping product via train to places like New York City, which was 100
miles away. Gus's dream had come true, and better yet, he had brought
smiles to many faces.
Shining a light on a little-known visionary, this inspiring picture-book
biography includes an afterword, a list of sources, and an
easy-to-follow recipe so readers can make their own delicious ice cream!
