Introduction

To all my mothers ... Gran-Gran, Mother, Mary Dob, Mimi, Dessie, and Miss Kitty ... great cooks and even better women. I am forever grateful for your bountiful love and nurturing.

“A shared recipe in the South is more precious than gold ... and it always comes with a good story.”

—As seen on a tea towel

At the funeral of my dear friend Shirley Mills’ mother, Queen Isabella Mills, the minister quoted an African proverb: “As long as your story is being told, you never really die.” I would amend that to read, “As long as your story is being told, and your recipes are being passed down, you never really die.”