Sugar, Sugar

While catering mainly to the upper crust of American society, the Palmer House also allegedly produced a stable in households across the country: the brownie.  The story goes that Bertha Palmer, whose husband owned the hotel, requested the chef prepare cake-like desserts for her and her friends to enjoy in their boxed lunches as they enjoyed the 1893 Chicago World's Columbian Exposition.  The rest is confectionary history!