According to his obituary in the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer, Alfonso Biggs was born February 14, 1904 in Talbot County, Georgia. In 1921 he received a Normal Certificate from Central City College, which was then affiliated with Mercer University. He taught school and worked in cotton mills before becoming a master cook. In his 65-year catering career, he cooked for five Fort Benning generals and three presidents (Franklin d. Roosevelt, Harry Truman and Dwight Eisenhower). In addition to his catering career, he was also a scholar and an avid collector of black history artifacts and antiques. He died in Columbus, Georgia on December 29, 2003.