Sarah Helen Tolliver Mahammitt is remembered today as a legend in North Omaha. Born around 1873, the African-American woman transcended race barriers to run a successful catering business that she founded with her husband, Thomas, in 1905. During her time in Omaha, Mahammitt catered such prominent social events as the wedding of Violet Joslyn to David Walter Magowan in 1913. She also provided refreshments for guests at the Knights of Ak-Sar-Ben coronations at the original Ak-Sar-Ben Den on North 20th Street for over a decade. Mahammitt decided to retire in 1927 and embarked on a tour of Paris, although her trip to the famous French city was not the kickoff to retirement she had expected.
Instead, the fateful holiday led her down a path toward quite the opposite.
The culinary scene is, and always has been, an aspect of French culture for which the country is famed. Mahammitt experienced this herself when she was taken in by Le Cordon Bleu, the legendary culinary school where Julia Child later studied. Enrolled in French cuisine and language classes simultaneously, Mahammitt quickly expanded her recipe repertoire. “My biggest trouble was the measuring system,” she wrote. “The French measure nothing. They weigh everything.”
After taking courses at Le Cordon Bleu, Mahammitt returned to her home town on a mission: to bring the delights of European cooking to African American women in Omaha. She opened The Mahammitt School of Cookery, where she taught classes, often free of charge, out of her home at 2703 Binney Street to ensure that all women who desired to expand their recipe collections could do so. An advertisement for the school read: “The Mahammitt School of Cookery/Day and Evening Classes/Every Woman Needs This Training.” The school reportedly educated some 1,000 students before closing its doors in 1942. After Thomas died in 1950, Mahammitt finally retired.
Her enduring legacy, however, lies with her famous cookbook, “Recipes and Domestic Service: The Mahammitt School of Cookery.” Published in 1939, the book purposely focused on non-Southern food and avoided dishes associated with African-American culture. The foreword provided Mahammitt’s credentials, her goals, and how she amassed recipes and included an explanation of the book’s organization.
“For convenience, I have divided my book into four parts,” it began. “In the first part are included cooking facts every cook should know; in the second, general and specialized recipes; in the third part, which is somewhat more formal, directions for correct domestic service; and in the fourth, directions for catering.”
Mahammitt recognized that in addition to Black maids being already familiar with their own culinary heritages, her knowledge of European-style cooking would greatly benefit maids in service of white households. As the title suggested, Mahammitt’s book included tips on household servants’ duties and how they should best attend to employers and their guests both efficiently and respectfully.
During a time when racial segregation still existed, Mahammitt recognized the necessity of being a good chef but not stealing the hostess’ spotlight. “Remember to be tactful in bringing your superior knowledge into play,” she advised. “You must save her from error in the eyes of her guests as well as save your reputation.”
Mahammitt is remembered today not only for her cooking, but also for her belief in sharing her expertise. “If the best cookery is to be attained,” she wrote in the foreword to her cookbook, “we must share our knowledge and not be like the cook of whom her friends remarked, when she had passed to the Great Beyond, ‘Here lies a wonderful cook, who has taken so much pleasure of her life with her.’”
When Mahammitt did “take so much pleasure of her life with her” at age 87 on November 26, 1956, in a local hospital following a month-long illness, the Omaha World-Herald headline read: “Prominent Caterer Died.” The obituary continued: “For 45 years her culinary abilities graced the city’s tables.”
Throughout her career, Mahammitt did not believe in “secret ingredients” or keeping family recipes hidden from the world; her love for culinary arts intersected with her love for people, resulting in the spread of her recipes. “Recipes and Domestic Service” now sells on Amazon and other bookselling websites for around $1,500.
In the spirit of sharing her knowledge with Omahans, here is a basic bread recipe from Mahammitt’s cookbook:
2 cups flour
4 tsp. baking powder
1 heaping tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 cup milk
2 eggs
2 tbsp. butter
2 tbsp. shortening
Sift flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, work in butter and shortening. Beat eggs. Mix eggs and milk. Stir in dry ingredients. Have a pan about 12 by 8 well greased. Pour in batter. Bake 20 to 30 minutes in a 375 to 400 degree oven. Serve hot and cut in squares. Nice for Sunday morning breakfast. I made this when a girl. Serve with sausage and fried apples. It’s good.
This article originally appeared in the June 2024 issue of Omaha Magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.
