For over a century, the image of a smiling Black chef graced the packaging of Cream of Wheat, becoming an iconic symbol of the American breakfast brand. This character, known as "Rastus," was developed by artist Edward V. Brewer and was a consistent presence on boxes and advertisements. While the image was intended to evoke warmth and culinary expertise, its long history became intertwined with evolving societal views on racial representation, ultimately
leading to its removal in 2020. The story of the Cream of Wheat chef is a compelling case study in brand imagery and its cultural impact.
The figure's origins trace back to the very beginning of the brand. When Cream of Wheat first debuted in 1893, the initial hand-lettered boxes, created by Emery Mapes, one of Diamond Milling Company's owners, already featured a stock illustration of a Black chef holding a saucepan. This early adoption of the chef's image set the stage for a lasting, albeit eventually controversial, brand identity.
The Enigma of Frank L. White
A central figure in the narrative of the Cream of Wheat chef is Frank L. White, an American chef whose likeness is widely believed to have inspired the "Rastus" character. White himself claimed to be the model for the chef, a claim so significant that his headstone bears his name and an etching taken from the man depicted on the Cream of Wheat box. Born in Barbados around 1867, White immigrated to the United States in 1875 and became a naturalized American citizen in 1890. He was working as a chef in a Chicago restaurant around 1900, the time he was allegedly photographed for the cereal box.
However, the exact identity of the model remains officially unidentified. John Lee Mahin, an advertising agent for Cream of Wheat executive Emery Mapes, described how he encountered two Black waiters with "unusually winning smiles" in a Chicago restaurant. He offered them fifty cents to have their pictures taken, and the photograph he liked best, showing a man with one tooth missing, was retouched to create the image. Mahin did not record the name of the man, and Mapes was reportedly unsuccessful in locating him years later. While a 2004 story in the Jackson Citizen-Patriot supported White's claim, authors Roberta Hughes Wright and Wilbur B. Wright III have raised doubts due to inconsistencies in both White's account and the official company story. White lived in Leslie, Michigan, for about twenty years until his death in 1938, and was buried with an anonymous marker until an identifying granite gravestone was installed in 2007.
The Rise of Controversy and Removal
Over time, the "Rastus" character and the term itself became subjects of increasing scrutiny. The name "Rastus" is a derogatory term traditionally associated with African Americans in the United States. Furthermore, the character had at one point been depicted in advertisements as a barely literate cook who lacked knowledge about vitamins, contributing to a problematic stereotype. These elements led to growing public pressure on B&G Foods, the brand's owner since 2007, to re-evaluate its packaging.
Leading up to 2020, there was a broader movement urging various companies to change branding perceived to have racist origins, with other notable examples including Aunt Jemima and Uncle Ben's. The public demands to remove symbols of racism intensified during the George Floyd protests. In response to this heightened awareness and pressure, B&G Foods announced on June 17, 2020, that it was "initiating an immediate review of the Cream of Wheat brand packaging." This review culminated in a decision announced on September 25, 2020, to remove the chef's image from all Cream of Wheat packaging. The company acknowledged that while research suggested the image might be based on an actual chef, it reminded some consumers of offensive depictions, leading to the decision to update the brand's visual identity.
