Ruth Graves Wakefield

Ruth Graves Wakefield was a chef who invented the chocolate chip cookie, one of the most iconic desserts in American history.

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Profession :

Entrepreneur

Birthday :

June 17, 1903

Death Date:

January 10, 1977

Age :

73

Ruth Graves Wakefield (June 17, 1903 – January 10, 1977) was a multifaceted American chef, renowned for inventing the first chocolate chip cookie, the Toll House Cookie. In addition to being a chef, she was a dietitian, educator, entrepreneur, and author. After graduating from the Framingham State Normal School Department of Household Arts in 1924, Wakefield worked as a dietitian and food lecturer. In 1930, she and her husband, Kenneth Wakefield, opened the Toll House Inn in Whitman, Massachusetts, where she personally developed many recipes. The chocolate chip cookie was born when Wakefield experimented with a butterscotch dessert, allowing the chocolate she was using to melt. The cookie quickly gained popularity at the inn and was eventually featured in a Boston newspaper. Wakefield’s invention of the iconic chocolate chip cookie had a significant impact on America’s culinary landscape.