George Crum

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For the American composer, see George Crumb.

George Crum was the head chef of Moon Lake Lodge, a resort in Saratoga Springs, New York. He is now best known as the Native American/African American man who invented potato chips.

In 1853, a customer complained that Crum's French fries were "too thick and soggy" and "not salty enough." The angered cook was frustrated by his remark, so he decided to give the maximal opposite of what the client was complaining about: he sliced potatoes paper-thin, fried them to a crisp, and dropped a lot of salt on them. When the crisps were prepared, he gave them to the customer, who loved them.

The chips became popular, and became known as Saratoga Chips. They remained a local delicacy until the Prohibition era, when an enterprising salesman named Herman Lay popularized the product throughout the Southeast United States.

Urban legends say that the hard-to-please customer in Saratoga Springs was none other than railroad magnate Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt.

George Crum

See also