Ruth Graves Wakefield

Ruth Graves Wakefield (June 17, 1903 – January 10, 1977) was the inventor of the Toll House Cookie, the first chocolate chip cookie.

Early Life and Business

Ruth Wakefield educated at Framingham State Normal School Department of Household Arts in 1924. She worked as a dietitian and lectured about foods.In 1930, she and her husband bought a tourist lodge in the town of Whitman, Massachusetts in Plymouth County. It had been built in 1709 and had a rich history of providing a night's solace to weary travelers. Located about halfway between Boston and New Bedford, it was a place where passengers had historically paid a toll, changed horses and eaten much-welcomed home-cooked meals. When the Wakefields opened their business, they named the establishment The Toll House. They took it upon themselves to uphold the lodge's tradition. Ruth cooked and served all the food and soon gained local fame for her desserts. The restaurant had many visitors including Massachusetts Senator John F. Kennedy (before he gained the U.S. presidency in 1960).

Heritage

Ruth wrote a cookbook, Toll House Tried and True Recipes, in 1940.

Ruth died in 1977, and the Toll House Inn burned down New Year's Eve of 1984. Although there are many manufacturers of chocolate chips today, the agreement to publish the recipe of Ruth Graves Wakefield on the back of each Nestlé Toll House chocolate bar package is still honored in the 21st century.

The Wakefield Cookbook Collection at Framingham State College was donated to the school by Ruth Graves Wakefield.

External links

• The History of Chocolate Chip Cookies at about.com
• Women Inventors: Ruth Wakefield