White Ceramic Mug (Abby Fisher)

Abby Fisher, sometimes spelled as Abbie Fisher, was an American former slave born around 1831 in Orangeburg, South Carolina. After the Civil War, she and her family moved to San Francisco. There, Abby Fisher earned her living as a pickle manufacturer and made a significant impact with her Southern cooking. In 1881, she published the second known cookbook by a Black woman in the United States: “What Mrs. Fisher Knows About Old Southern Cooking.” Remarkably, she dictated the cookbook to friends because she couldn’t read or write. Fisher’s culinary achievements and entrepreneurial spirit continue to inspire.