John Chamberlin
John F. Chamberlin (1837 – August 23, 1896) was a renowned American chef and restaurateur in the last quarter of the 19th century.[1][2][3]
Biography
"Chamberlin's" restaurant in Washington, D.C., located on the southeast corner of 15th and I Street NW, was considered one of best and most expensive in the city. His lead chef Emeline Jones, an emancipated slave, was considered among the best chefs of her day.[4][5][6] The restaurant was part of Chamerlin's hotel which took up three houses, which had previously been owned by Fernando Wood, Thomas Swann, and James G. Blaine.[7][8]
Chamberlin also opened in April 1896 the "Hotel Chamberlin" on Old Point Comfort in Hampton, Virginia. It was a popular resort for the wealthy until consumed by a fire in 1920. A new Hotel Chamberlin opened in 1928, but was unable to capture the same level of glory is its predecessor. It remains in operation today as both a retirement community and hotel called "The Chamberlin".[9]
Chamberlin was born in Lansingburgh, New York (now part of Troy), and lived in New York City where he engaged in a number of businesses, and then moved in the 1870s to Washington. He opened "Chamberlin's" in 1880.[6]
Chamberlin died in Saratoga Springs, New York in 1896,[10][11] but his Washington restaurant remained in operation under 1906.[6]
References
- (1 September 1901). Recipes by the World's most famous chef, San Francisco Call
- https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/imgsrv/image?id=msu.31293029885286;seq=42;width=1020
- (15 September 1896). Catered to the Inner Man, Omaha Daily Bee
- The President's Kitchen Cabinet, p.98
- Shields, David S. (26 October 2017). The Culinarians: Lives and Careers from the First Age of American Fine Dining. ISBN 9780226406923.
- DeFerrari, John. Historic Restaurants of Washington,: Capital Eats, pp. 26-27 (2013)
- Ingersoll, Ernest. Rand, McNally & Co.'s Handy Guide to Washington and the District of Columbia, p. 130 (1893)
- (14 June 1890). Washington "Bon-Vivants", The Illustrated American, p. 409
- Erickson, Mark St. John (8 March 2018). Hotel Chamberlin boosted Hampton resort's status, Daily Press (Newport News, Virginia)
- (25 August 1896). John Chamberlin's Ways, The Sun (New York)
- (24 August 1896). John Chamberlin Dead, Indianapolis Journal