Ruth Graves Wakefield

(1903-1977)

..not all heros wear capes, some wear aprons..

Ruth Graves Wakefield was a former home economics teacher and an American chef, known for her innovations in the baking field.  She pioneered the first chocolate chip cookie recipe, an invention many people incorrectly assume was a mistake. The story that Ruth's chocolate chip cookie was a "mistake" is a widely popular, yet likely inaccurate myth.  The story claims she was substituting broken pieces of Nestle's chocolate bar for baking chocolate, expecting it to melt and create a chocolate-covered dough, but the chunks stayed intact instead.  While celebrated as a "happy accident", she likely intended the creation. 

The story of the "mistake" likely grew because it's a more charming, accidental origin story than the reality of a professional chef engaging in deliberate recipe development.

Due to the massive popularity of her cookie, she partnered with Nestle's to feature her recipe on their packaging in exchange for a lifetime supply of chocolate from the company.

Her new dessert, supposedly conceived of as she returned from a vacation in Egypt, is the inspiration behind the massively popular Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie which Wakefield created around 1938 as the "Toll House Chocolate Crunch Cookie".  She created the recipe during the period when she owned the Toll House Inn located in Whitman, Massachusetts.  In this era, the Toll House Inn was a popular restaurant that featured home cooking.  

Founded in 1930 by Kenneth and Ruth Wakefield in an 1817 house on Bedford Street in Whitman, MA.

"We had been serving a thin butterscotch nut cookie with ice cream.  Everybody seemed to love it, but I was trying to give them something different.  So I came up with the Toll House cookie.  

Ruth Graves Wakefield

This historical plaque detailing the history of the Toll house installed in 2007.

Sadly, the historic Toll House restaurant, famous as the birthplace of the chocolate chip cookie, was destroyed by fire on New Year's Eve in 1984.  The fire, caused by a kitchen grease fire that spread through the ductwork destroyed the wood-frame building.  It was  never rebuilt.* The famous structure was a 275-year-old landmark located at 362 Bedford Street (Route 18).  Today, a Wendy's and a Walgreens stand where the Toll House once stood. 

*The Toll House was never rebuilt because of a failed attempt to find investors to revive it.  After six years of seeking a new restauranteur to restore the historic landmark, the land was sold for commercial development.  After the fire, the property was later sold by owners, Frank and Carolyn Saccone to Callahan Construction in 1986. Despite marketing efforts, no one was willing to take on the cost of rebuilding and operating the restaurant.

Why does the sign say 1709?

When the Wakefields purchased the property, the year "1709" was written on the chimney in large numbers.  It then became common belief that the building traced back to that date.  That belief lasted until the 1970s when local historian Martha Campbell published a series of columns and letters debunking myths of the Toll House.  Campbell wrote that Wakefield took the 1709 date and ran with it, knowing the value of a "good story".

"There wasn't anything at this corner in 1709.  There wasn't even a corner."

Ruth Graves Wakefield

In 1995, the Whitman Historical Commission published a history of the Toll House, confirming that the original building dates back to 1817. However, the "1709" date still appears in many places including the plaque at the current Toll House monument.

The Toll house remained an institution in Whitman until the Wakefields retired from the business in 1968 and sold the property to the Noel family.  The new owners tried to turn the restaurant into a nightclub called Noel's.  The venture was a disaster.  By the 1970s, Noel's had closed and the owners walked away, leaving the historic building in a state of neglect.  According to the South Shore News, damage to the interior included "gaping plaster holds" and "94 broken windows". 

In 1972, Frank and Carolyn Saccone*, a husband-and-wife team, purchased the derelict property.  Their goal was to restore the Toll House to its former glory. After months of renovations, the Saccone family opened the doors to a restored Toll House Restaurant in 1973.  By 1981, the new owners decided to take advantage of the restaurant's role in cookie history by selling "Toll House cookies" to stores.  This caught the eye of Nestle's who sued the Saccone family over the "Toll House" trademark.  In 1983, a federal judge ruled that the "Toll House cookie" had become part of the common language and was no longer subject to trademark. 

*Frank and Carolyn Saccone have both passed though Carolyn's obituary mentions the Toll House .. "Frank was a CPA and became the accountant of the great boxer, Rocky Marciano.  During their lifetime they embarked on several successful business ventures including the restoration of the famous Toll House Restaurant in Whitman, MA.  Carolyn and Frank ran the Toll House from 1972-1984 where Carolyn led the design and decoration, coordinated its numerous weddings and served as hostess.  One of the great joys in Carolyn's life was working with the many brides and grooms and always making sure their special day was indeed, special."

In the closing minutes of New Year's Eve 1983, the entire history of the Toll house went up in flames.  At about 11:30 p.m. just after the kitchen closed, a grease fire broke out.  An automatic fire extinguisher was triggered though by then, the fire had already worked its way through the ducts and into the attic of the building.  The fire chief told the Brockton Enterprise at the time .. "It was a firefighter's nightmare.  There was no fire stops in the partitions and false ceilings were everywhere." Fire departments from Whitman and four surrounding towns responded to the blaze.  No injuries were reported though by the time the fire was brought under control, the Toll House had been lost.

ONE MORE ATTEMPT AT A COMEBACK

Two years after the fire, the Saccone family sold the ruined Toll House property to Callahan Construction. According to the Boston Globe, Callahan marketed the land to potential restaurant owners to revive the Toll House though after six years of trying, the company turned to bids for fast-food restaurants and condos. At the time, Steve Callahan told the Boston Globe .. "Nobody wanted to fill this location with a Toll House Restaurant more than we did."

LOSING THE TOLL HOUSE FOR GOOD

What was once the rear parcel of the Toll House property was turned into condominums, dubbed the Toll House Village.  In 1993, the southern end of the property was sold to make way for a Wendy's.

It marked the end of an era in Whitman. 

"I have mixed feelings about losing the Toll House.  But it's better to have something than nothing at all.

Dick Cole, Chairman of the Whitman Board of Selectmen

As a condition for building the restaurant, Wendy's agreed with the town of Whitman to display clippings and photos of the old Toll House.  

 While the Toll House is gone, the site on Bedford Street is now marked with an historical marker and a restored sign.  Nestle's sweetened the deal by offering $25.000 in funding for the sign project. In 2021, the sign underwent another restoration.  Lighting was also added to the sign to better display the monument. 

A scanned image of the original Toll house Restaurant as it appears in the Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System.

Circa 1982

In 1930, Ruth and Kenneth Wakefield purchased an old Cape Cod-style cottage for $6,500.  The property, built in 1817, was a private residence until just a few years before the Wakefields took over.  Even as the country dove into the Great Depression, the Wakefields sought to open a restaurant "that served wholesome meals in a congenial atmosphere."  The original restaurant had seven tables, one waitress and one chef.  Within three years, the Toll House had expanded to 64 tables and claimed to serve 2,000 guests per day.  The Toll House was a booming success, with much of the credit going to the restaurant's impeccable service and Ruth Wakefield's famous cookie and desserts. 

The Toll House drew rave reviews for their Boston cream pie and pecan rolls though most of all, Ruth Graves Wakefield remains best known for her innovative spin on a butterscotch nut cookie that was served as a free add-on to ice cream.  You might know it better as the .. chocolate chip cookie. 

As the Toll House grew in fame, so did its list of customers!  Among those who dined there were boxing legend Rocky Marciano, food expert Duncan Hines, Boston Mayor James Michael Curley and then United States Senator, John F. Kennedy. One of the Toll Houses' future owners claimed that Kennedy ate at the restaurant once a week during his time in the Senate.  

According to Carolyn Wyman, author of "The Great American Chocolate Chip Cookie Book", the future president's father, Joseph Kennedy, Sr. "stopped there twice a week for years." 

Throughout her life, Wakefield found occupation as a dietitian, educator, business owner and published author.  She wrote a cookbook titled Ruth Wakefield's Toll House:  Tried and True Recipes.  

Circa 1938

Being the absolute legend she was, Ruth didn't keep the recipe a secret, but gave it out on hand-typed cards before selling the rights to Nestle's for $1.00 and a lifetime supply of chocolate!  

RIP RUTH