The Grands!

I named this post "The Grands" because like a grand entrance, my grandparents came into my life and left a lasting impact. They were both unforgettable and I was lucky to have them as grandparents. They taught us so many things about food and showed us importance of cooking and growing your own food. I may not have understood it as well at the time, but now I am glad that they made us work in their gardens because it has given me a lesson in saving money and consuming fewer processed or preserved foods.

In the picture above, my granddaddy appears to be holding one of his famous pound cakes. This family recipe is the one that we now use to make pound cake for our family. It is in fact the recipe I use in Jazziecakes! My granddaddy played many roles in his life - a son, father, brother, uncle, cousin, pastor, baseball coach, hunter, farmer, fisher and baker. The last three roles are quite ironic because because I am a Pastry Cook at a restaurant in Washington, DC called, "Farmers Fishers & Bakers." So many things along the way prepare you for your future, so in many ways I guess granddaddy was preparing me for my current challenges. 

When I was younger, granddaddy would have my cousins and I go in his gardens and pick corn, watermelon, okra, collards, tomatoes and anything that grew out there. He would take the whole family on fishing trips so we could learn how to fish, which most importantly included being quiet for hours so that we didn't scare the fish away. Well, quiet or not I surely never caught anything! While the boys performed outside tasks, my grandparents made sure that all of the little women in the family knew how to cook for ourselves and future families. As for me, I'm going to take those skills and bake not just for my family but for the world!

My grandmother. who is pictured above, knew how to make everything taste good! Her career was dedicated to making nutritious meals for school children. No matter how hard I have tried over the years, I can never get my food to taste like hers. Grandmothers have a special ingredient that makes all of their dishes special and none of us know what that until we ourselves are grandmothers I suppose. As I hinted earlier, girls in our family tend to do two times the work of the boys when it comes to the kitchen. My granddaddy took care of teaching us the outdoor skills, but it was my grandmother who taught us our womanly and/or wifely duties. She taught us how to scale fish, shell peas, can food, and how to fry a good piece of chicken. Grandmother also taught us how to keep a clean house, which is very important in the restaurant industry. Most importantly, my grandmother taught us that just because you are a woman it doesn't mean you should not be able to accomplish anything. This life lesson is key in an industry that has been traditionally male-dominated. I am thankful for the seeds planted so early in my life that will make me a stronger, more confident woman.