Crum, George (1820’s?-1914), was a chef of mixed African American and Native American ancestry. He has sometimes been called the inventor of the potato chip . However, historians believe it is unlikely that he was the snack’s original inventor. Crum lived during a time in which records on African Americans and Native Americans were not well kept. Much of what is known about him is based on legends and stories.
Crum became associated with the potato chip by local legend in Saratoga Springs, New York , where he worked at a restaurant . According to the story, in 1853, a patron of the restaurant complained that the French-fried potatoes (also called French fries) were too thick and soft. As a joke, Crum responded by cutting his potatoes into the thinnest slices he could, frying them to a crisp, and adding extra salt. He expected the picky customer to be unhappy with his dish. To Crum’s surprise, people loved the chips. They became a featured item at the restaurant. They were called Saratoga chips, after nearby Saratoga Lake. Crum opened his own restaurant, called Crum’s House, in 1860. There, he served his chips in baskets on every table and sold them to take out.
Several of Crum’s obituaries in 1914 credit him as the inventor of the potato chip, although he never received a patent . It is possible that he created the potato chip with help from his sister, Kate Speck Wicks, who worked with him at the restaurant. At that time, it was difficult for women and people of color to secure recognition for their inventions. But cookbooks from the early 1800’s include recipes similar to the potato chip, and a biography that Crum commissioned in 1893 did not mention the invention.
George Speck was probably born in the early 1820’s, in Saratoga Lake, New York. He later began using the name Crum.
