Born George Speck in 1822 in Saratoga Lake, New York, Crum was the son of an African American father and Native American mother, a member of the Huron tribe. He professionally adopted the name "Crum" as it was the name his father used in his career as a jockey. As a young man Crum worked as a guide in the Adirondack Mountains and as an Indian trader. Eventually he came to realize he possessed exceptional talent in the culinary arts. In the summer of 1853, he was working as a chef at Saratoga Springs' elegant Moon Lake Lodge resort, where French-fried potatoes were a favourite on the menu. This preparation for potatoes, in which the tubers are cut lengthwise, lightly fried, and eaten with a fork, is said to have become popular in the 1700's. Thomas Jefferson, having enjoyed them in France during his service as an ambassador to that country, is known to have introduced them to local folks at home and liked to eat and serve them frequently.
As the story goes, Crum invented the potato chip as a reaction to an angry customer at a restaurant in which he worked as a chef. The customer sent his French-fried potatoes back to the kitchen complaining that they were cut too thickly. Crum, by all accounts somewhat of an ornery and at times sarcastic man, reacted by slicing the potatoes as thin as he possibly could, frying them in grease, and sending the crunchy brown chips back out on the guest's plate that way. The reaction was unexpected: The guest loved the crisps. In fact, other guests began asking for them as well, and soon Crum's "Saratoga Chips" became one of lodge's most popular treats. George Crum happily continued to make the thin, fried potatoes, but he called them "Saratoga Chips" or Potato Crunches. They soon became so popular that they were made up in large batches, packaged in bags, and sold in New England. Crum never patented or attempted to widely distribute his potato chips; nevertheless they were soon on their way to becoming an international phenomenon via a number of aspiring snack food entrepreneurs around the country. Crum closed his restaurant in 1890. He died on July 22, 1914, at the age of 92. George Crum did more than just invent the potato chip and made himself famous, he also ended up supplying thousands of jobs for people all over the United States. Of course, the employment would happen many, many years later. For example, there is Mikesell's Potato Chip Company in Dayton, Ohio, Dan Dee Pretzel and Potato Chip Company in Cleveland, Ohio, and the Utz Company in Hanover, Pennsylvania. The Utz Company is famous for their "Hanover Home Brand Potato Chips". These companies were all started in the early 1900's. Then, sometime in the 1920's, a man by the name of Herman Lay made his living by selling potato chips from his car. His potato chips became the first successfully marketed national brand. Phenomenal success followed for him and for scores of other potato chip makers. Today, retail sales of potato chips in the United States alone top $6 billion per year. It may not appear to be a world-changing invention, though its creation has led to the development of a billion dollar industry that spans the globe. |