Trisha Tisma has always lived in Duluth on or near a farm on Bunten Road. As she was growing up, she watched Duluth grow up around her. Her family still owns the farm. They now live adjacent to it.  Thinking of farm living brings to mind good, fresh food and that’s exactly what Tisma likes to use. Her son does organic gardening on the farm, so for most of the year there are fresh vegetables available that she likes to add to her soups, stews and other dishes.  Tisma started cooking a lot when her children were coming along. She made her own baby food and continued serving the kids good …

  Thinking of an entree to serve at a meal is not too hard, but coming up with something to go along side is a little trickier. Donna Marcus has many side dishes that she likes to prepare. Marcus loves the creative side of cooking and always has. Growing up, she liked watching her mom cook. As she has run her own household for many years she’s enjoyed trying new things and coming up with recipes of her own. She likes to combine varieties of vegetables with her favorite herbs and spices. Her three grown daughters share her cooking enthusiasm.  One thing Marcus does, now that she’s cooking for …

  At the Thymes home in Duluth, Christmas is a big day of celebration with the children and grandchildren gathered round. As tradition will have it, the festivities begin with a breakfast that includes monkey bread and an egg casserole. Judy Kaye Thymes has always enjoyed cooking. When she was a girl her mother let her help out in the kitchen, and she’s been creating things there ever since. She likes nothing better than gathering her family around the table. She says that “as the kids were growing up all of our family conversations centered around the dinner table. It’s a way of life for us…

Years ago a neighbor gave a gift of a small cake to Stephanie King. She said that receiving a homemade gift of food “made her feel loved and appreciated.” Since then King decided that during the holidays that was a way she wanted to extend her love and friendship to those around her.  King and her husband have lived in the same home in Duluth for 16½ years. It’s the only home their children have ever known. They love the convenience of the area and the friends that they’ve made.  Since she was a girl, King has been busy in the kitchen. Her mom had to work long hours, so when King was in …

Cindy Purcell grew up in Missouri, one of seven children, and by the age of 14 was becoming a cook in her own right. Under the tutelage of her mom, an accomplished cook, Purcell often helped by cooking for the family. And in the process, she developed a love of cooking. She enjoys the creative process of cooking. As a stay-at-home mom for more than 27 years, Purcell commented that to stay within a budget you need to “cook creatively.” “I don’t often follow a recipe exactly but use it as a guide,” Purcell said. So when she cooks something and it turns out great, which is usually, she said, “I …

Hannah Rinehart enjoys so many things about living in Duluth...its proximity to Atlanta, the fun downtown area and access to good friends and neighbors.  Reinhart has enjoyed cooking since she was a girl. She always loved to try new recipes, and she liked to either help her mom in the kitchen or prepare meals on her own. She is grateful that she had the opportunity to learn how to make her way around the kitchen.  As Reinhart now cooks for her own family and friends. “I considers cooking a creative outlet that I find relaxing,” she says. When in the kitchen she prefers to use natural and …

Food is part of Nancy Caldwell’s history. From helping out in her grandfather’s restaurant in San Clemente, CA, to growing up with a mom who loved to be in the kitchen, Caldwell was raised around a lot of good cooks and good food. Caldwell fondly remembers “helping” in the kitchen of her grandfather’s restaurant in California. “Sometimes I got to put fresh potatoes through a special cutter that, with a pull of the handle, would peel and slice the potatoes, making them ready to cook as French fries,” she said. Caldwell grew up in a military family so, of course, they moved a lot. Her mother, …

Amy Shirley and her husband Josh have lived in Duluth for four years. This past year they moved from an apartment into a house, and one thing they enjoy very much are the sidewalks in and around the downtown area. “I enjoy walking to the library and downtown," explains Shirley. “There’s always something going on downtown like the Friday night movies on the green.” Since she was a girl, Shirley has enjoyed cooking and experimenting with new food combinations. She says she learned a lot about cooking from her mom, who was always good at coming up with new and good recipe ideas.  During the fall…

Since the age of seven, except while she was away at college, Beth Grabenkort has called Duluth her home. She loves the familiar surrounds. With family and good friends nearby, this is the place she calls home. “Everything I need is very accessible” she explains. “Not only that, but Duluth has a small town feel even though it’s right outside of a very big city.”  Grabenkort not only enjoys cooking but also getting together with friends. One of her new favorite snack recipes that she’s enjoys serving for girls night get-togethers is this Peanut Butter Popcorn. When I asked her what she stored …

Salad dressing can add so much to a salad; or take so much away if it’s not what you’d hoped for. I hate trying a new store bought salad dressing just to be disappointed with it. I’ve spent my good money on something that will now probably only adorn the inside of my refrigerator. There are already plenty of things in the fridge to do that.  By the way, how long do you keep things you don’t like in your refrigerator before throwing them away? A week, a month, a decade? You don’t have to answer. Some information is just too personal.  Here’s some good news. Salad dressings are really easy to …

Beth Bell and her husband Woody met at UGA, married and moved to Duluth 38 years ago. With a family of three children and many friends that she likes to feed, Bell spends a lot of time in the kitchen. A very active member of Duluth First United Methodist Church, until three years ago she was a key worker in preparing the Wednesday night dinners for church members. Over the years, as the congregation grew, this became a bigger and bigger job. More than 20 years ago a group of the ladies, calling themselves the Dinner Belles, got together to plan and purchase food for these dinners. As the …

If you live here in the South or are just passing through and decide to add one, just one, recipe to your repertoire, I think it should be iced tea; aka-tea. In the South, tea means iced. It also usually means, sweet.  There are two keys to making great iced tea. Well, make that three. First, you must use boiling water to steep your tea. Nothing less will do.  Second, don’t steep you tea too long. You want to get the good flavor from your tea bags without sucking the life out of them. Technically what happens is that if you steep it too long, too many tannins are released from the tea, making…

Julie Grabenkort and her husband Rob have lived in Duluth for the past 23 years and raised their two daughters here. With it’s wonderful emphasis on patriotism and love of country, they love being a part of the community. With her busy job as a Gwinnett County school nurse, you can imagine that Grabenkort likes to have meals that are relatively quick to prepare. One of these, which has always been a family favorite, is Mexican lasagna. Their two daughters Beth and Bonnie, who are now grown and living away from home, both enjoy cooking and like to try new and different types of recipes. …

Penny Anne Machemehl and her husband Charles, better known as Mach, have lived in Duluth for the past 21 years. During that time she has served many a delightful meal. Her children, Chase, Hannah and Chandler all enjoy bringing friends over so Machemehl is often busy serving food not only to her family but to friends as well.  Machemehl is very glad to have made their home in Duluth and really enjoys being a part of the community. She loves the fact that she can “Live, work, worship and play” all in this area. “It’s fun” she says,”to go to the grocery store and see familiar faces.” In the …