Well, hello, Dollie: Remembering one of America’s very first celebrity chefs
Editor’s Note: As Lexington celebrates the 250th anniversary of its founding, the Herald-Leader and kentucky.com each day throughout 2025 will share interesting facts about our hometown. Compiled by Liz Carey, all are notable moments in the city’s history - some funny, some sad, others heartbreaking or celebratory, and some just downright strange.
Jan. 28, 1852: Laura “Dollie” Johnson Dandridge is born.
While we don’t know the exact date, we do know she was born into slavery near Georgetown. Dandridge would go to work as a cook for Union Col. John Mason Brown in Lexington. When President Benjamin Harrison set to hire a chef for his administration, Dandridge was recommended by many, including then Civil Service Commissioner Theodore Roosevelt.
“I... am ready to testify to the fact that it was one of the best dinners I ever ate. Dollie did herself credit, and the White House could not be better served, I am sure, than it will be by Dollie,” he reportedly said.
Dandridge started at the White House in December 1889 and was paid $75 a month for her Bluegrass dishes. She left the White House in 1890 to care for her sick daughter, then returned for a brief stint as White House chef to President Grover Cleveland.
After serving for two presidents, Dandridge returned to Lexington where she eventually opened a number of restaurants, including the aptly named “White House Cafe.”
