Originally published in 1904, Commanders of the Dining Room features brief biographies of more than fifty African American head waiters and front-of-house restaurant staff, giving insight into the traditions and personalities that shaped these culinary institutions. Maccannon, himself an African American and a former head waiter, also offers a brief portrait of the Head and Second Waiters' National Benefit Association (a union for the industry and for African American hotel workers). Though the HSWNBA was formed in Chicago and held conventions there, many of the waiters profiled in this book hail from southern restaurants. Maccannon published Commanders to increase the visibility and stature of Black waiters; to assure employers that they could count on members of the HSWNBA to thoroughly know their business; to attest to their commitment to be dependable workers; and to showcase model African American manhood. In the vein of Booker T. Washington, Commanders proclaimed to young waiters that they could achieve success if they educated themselves, worked hard, and joined an association like the HSWNBA. In Commanders they could see head waiters, at the pinnacle of the profession, who had started out at the bottom and worked their way to the top, overcoming a variety of challenges along the way.

Excerpt from Commanders of the Dining Room: Biographic Sketches and Portraits of Successful Head Waiters Certainly, the close relationship of the waiters with those things that are necessary to satisfy the appetite, and their efficient manner in serving the same, should endear the men in the dining room and the head. Waiter at the door to the heart of every one who enjoys the luxurious comforts of an up - to-d_ate American hotel dining room. It is true, of course, that to be entitled to such recognition, one should have achieved eminent success in one or more of the high call ings of the world. But there is, however, an exception to every rule. And in this case, it is a very justifiable one; for, while it may not be said that these men have achieved success in what is recognized as the higher callings, yet, nevertheless, thev have undoubtedly achieved success in that calling which circumstances have forced a number of them, many of who-m, had conditions been otherwise, would have attained positions of eminence in any one of the higher callings into which the natural force of the world's current might have carried them, like other men, who have been unhampered in the development of their natural ability, and unrestricted in their move ment through the various channels of Operation. As human plants, dwarfed by a force, unnatural to the design of the Creator, that they have made commendable success, and have shown natural ability is a fact which is sufficient under the circumstances, to entitle them to this biographic recognition. It will also be appreciated that though a head waiter's position may not be regarded as one of the highest callings, his functions, how ever, are very important in the hotel industry. By no means is the position simply what the title designates. There was a time when the duty of the man bearing the title Head Waiter, was merely what the title signifies, and nothing more; but to-day, that title is a mis nomer, as it fails to express the real duties of the position. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

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The deliciously cosmopolitan story of the restaurant from eighteenth-century Paris to El Bulli What does eating out tell us about who we are? The restaurant is where we go to celebrate, to experience pleasure, to see and be seen - or, sometimes, just because we're hungry. But these temples of gastronomy hide countless stories. As this dazzlingly entertaining, eye-opening book shows, the restaurant is where performance, fashion, commerce, ritual, class, work and desire all come together. Through its windows, we can glimpse the world. This is the tale of the restaurant in all its guises, from the first formal establishments in eighteenth-century Paris serving 'restorative' bouillon, to today's new Nordic cuisine, via grand Viennese cafés and humble fast food joints. Here are tales of cooks who spend hours arranging rose petals for Michelin stars, of the university that teaches the consistency of the perfect shake, of the lunch counter that sparked a protest movement, of the writers - from Proust to George Orwell - who have been inspired or outraged by the restaurant's secrets.