I was born and raised in Prichard, Alabama (Mobile County), to a single mother of four. We often spent weekends on the pier fishing and catching blueshell crabs. Needless to say, what we caught was dinner for the week. My mother was great at creating meals with ingredients that did not necessarily make sense, but the result was tasty. I must admit I grew up in a family of great cooks.
My grandfather was a master chef on merchant marine ships for nearly 50 years. My grandmother was also a great cook, taking pride in feeding the neighborhood families for the holidays. For my mother, the gift of cooking was second nature to her. Although she owned a dry-cleaning business and a convenience store, she incorporated her love for cooking into the store with a hot food bar to serve the community where she did business. My family always took great pride in their kitchen atmosphere.
As a young wife and stay-at-home mother, I practiced much of what I learned from them. I was the primary cook at Ingrid’s Soul Food Restaurant in College Park in the early 1990s and have done much catering over the years upon request. I am excited to share these recipes with you in the pages of this book.
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