"Rufus Estes' Good Things to Eat: The First Cookbook by an African-American Chef" includes nearly 600 mouth-watering recipes: chicken gumbo, chestnut stuffing with truffles, cherry dumplings, southern style waffles, baked milk (an early form of custard), parsnip fritters, and scores of other dishes from haute cuisine to family-style meals. Estes had worked for years as a chef in deluxe private railroad cars, where he honed his culinary skills preparing lavish meals for industry magnates and even American presidents.

Estes ran a more stationary kitchen as a caterer to executives with the U.S. Steel Corporation, the first billion-dollar corporation in the world, by the time his cookbook appeared. His cookbook doesn't skimp on the lard or fats, and also includes an introduction with a brief sketch covering Este's Southern childhood and early years as a railway attendant. The recipes in "Rufus Estes' Good Things to Eat: The First Cookbook by an African-American Chef" are brief, don't always list proportions, and are tend to features recipes the way Grandma used to have them-with a pinch of this, a spoonful of that, and much of the detail memorized memory! Nonetheless, with its wide variety of recipe ideas and unique ethnic flavor, "Rufus Estes' Good Things to Eat: The First Cookbook by an African-American Chef" is of special value to anyone interested in the African-American experience.

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