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Enslaved people in South Carolina in the process of being freed by the federal government around 1862. Abby Fisher was born and raised on a South Carolina plantation, but after gaining her freedom, found success in San Francisco.
(Henry P. Moore)
O
nce Abby Fisher had made a name for herself in 1870s San Francisco, the award-winning Southern chef and businesswoman was bombarded with requests for her recipes. Fisher was more than happy to share over three decades of cookery know-how with her fans. But because Fisher was born enslaved and raised on a South Carolina plantation, she never had access to a formal education; she could neither read nor write.