Cookbook Author, Nutritionist

Early Life.

Born on 23 March 1857 in Boston, Massachusetts, Fannie Farmer was the eldest of four daughters. At the age of sixteen Farmer contracted polio, which caused her left leg to become paralyzed. Her illness prevented her from pursuing her education after graduating from Medford High School. During a period of financial difficulty in the 1880s, Farmer worked as a mother's helper in the home of a family friend, Mrs. Charles Shaw. The job changed Farmer's life. Never having done any cooking at home, she took an interest in preparing meals and became a good cook. In 1887, encouraged by her employer, Farmer enrolled in the Boston Cooking School, which had been started in 1879 as part of the scientifichousekeeping movement. By the time Farmer graduated in 1889 at the age of thirty-two, the school had become so impressed by her talent that it hired her...