"The Potato Chip Cook Book" 1977 WHITNEY, Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt

WHITNEY, Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt

[61] pp.

Maple Hill Press, Inc.

1977

8 1/4" x 5 5/8"

The legend of the potato chip being inspired by 19th-century railroad and shipping magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt was meant to sell more chips.

But in the city of its origin, it caused a public outcry - a battle between beloved socialite and philanthropist Marylou Whitney and Saratoga County historian Violet Dunn.

First the story. The oft-told tale is set in 1853. It portrays Vanderbilt, known as "The Commodore," as a finicky diner at Moon’s Lake House on Saratoga Lake who, when served french fried potatoes that he deemed too fat, ordered them back to the kitchen.

The irked chef, George Crum, sliced a tuber so thin that the pieces crisped when fried, sprinkled them generously with salt and sent them back to Vanderbilt’s table. "The Commodore" loved them.

And thus the Saratoga chip - and all other potato chips to follow - was allegedly born.

The spat between Whitney and Dunn started nearly 125 years later in 1976 when a friend of Whitney's sent her a printed version of the story. The following year, Whitney, wife of Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney, grabbed onto the legend and made it the centerpiece of her ball, the glittering gala she hosted annually to usher in the Whitney Stakes at the Saratoga Race Course.

The New York Times covered the party, writing the potato chip theme “was as legitimate as could be, because according to Mrs. Whitney, her husband’s great-great-grandfather was responsible for the potato chip.” The writer than went on to describe the fashion and decor and list the horse racing notables there. And yes, freshly fried potato chips were served on silver trays.