Lucille Elizabeth Bishop Smith

Lucille Elizabeth Bishop Smith (1892–1985) was an American entrepreneur, chef, and inventor. She invented the first hot biscuit mix, and has been called "The first African American businesswomen in Texas".[1]

Biography

Smith was born in 1892 in Crockett, Texas, to parents Mary (Jackson) Bishop and Jesse Bishop. She graduated from Huston-Tillotson University in about 1912. Smith later married Ulysses Samuel Smith, who would eventually become known as the "Barbecue King of the Southwest." The couple moved to Fort Worth, and established a catering business. In 1927, Lucille was appointed the coordinator of Fort Worth's vocational education program. Ten years later, she received a similar position at Prairie View A&M, and in 1952 established one of the first college commercial food & technology programs. In 1941, Smith published her first cookbook, "Lucille's Treasure Chest of Fine Foods."[2]

For a fundraiser, Smith developed "Lucille's All Purpose Hot Roll Mix" which became a commercial success. In one month, she made about $800 in profit, which she donated to St. Andrew's Church. The mix became such a success that she was soon selling 200 cases of it a week, and became the first African American woman on the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce. The Cleburne Times-Review reported: "Grocery stores began placing orders for cases of the mix. By April of '48, the orders were for more than 200 cases per week of the 14-ounce boxes. Twenty-one different products [recipes] could be made from the base. The product paved the way for the convenience cooking we know today." She also marketed chili biscuits which were offered in American Airlines flights, and in Lyndon Johnson's White House.[3]

Lucille Smith founded Lucille B. Smith's Fine Foods, Inc in 1974. She counted Eleanor Roosevelt and Joe Lewis as her customers.[2]

In 1966, Fort Worth proclaimed a "Lucille B. Smith day" in her honor. In 1969, she was named to the Governor's Commission on the Status of Women. Throughout her life, Smith fundraised for various causes, and advocated for better conditions for the cities poor.[4]

References

  1. ↑ Kennedy, Bud (2015-12-24). "50 years ago, Fort Worth woman baked her way into soldiers' hearts". star-telegram. Retrieved 2017-11-07.
  2. 1 2 "SMITH, LUCILLE ELIZABETH BISHOP". tshaonline.org. Retrieved 2017-11-07.
  3. ↑ "Lucille Bishop Smith". Food Tells a Story. 2016-05-10. Retrieved 2017-11-07.
  4. ↑ Daley, Bill (2014-07-12). "Lucille B. Smith blazed trail as black entrepreneur". tribunedigital-chicagotribune. Retrieved 2017-11-07.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.