A common story of how mac and cheese arrived in America is that Thomas Jefferson introduced the dish after he brought a macaroni machine from his 1784 emissary trip to France.

However, while Jefferson did supply the macaroni machine, the person who did all the cooking and who deserves the credit is the third president's enslaved chef James Hemings.

Jefferson spent the trip to Paris meeting with French delegates, while Hemings used the time to learn the art of French cuisine with prestigious chefs and learn pastry techniques.

He even cooked for one of the French princes. Three years later, Hemings was working as the head chef at Paris' American embassy and also used his own money to learn the language.

Hemings likely learned the recipe for mac and cheese while working in French kitchens, and then put his own twist on it, as evidenced by his 1787 recipe for "macaroni pie."

He probably served the dish at Hôtel de Langeac, the American embassy, and presumably, it was delicious enough to inspire Jefferson to bring the machine back home in 1789.