Ruth Wakefield

Ruth Wakefield was an American chef and food innovator best known for inventing chocolate chip cookies. In the 1930s, she owned the Toll House Inn in Massachusetts, where she experimented with recipes. She combined broken pieces of semi-sweet chocolate into cookie dough, expecting the chocolate to melt. Instead, the chocolate retained its shape, creating the first batch of chocolate chip cookies. Her invention became wildly popular and revolutionized baking, eventually turning into one of the most iconic American cookies. Wakefield's contribution is celebrated as a major culinary innovation that transformed casual baking and snack culture.