Who is Judy
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Who is Judy? My greatest female influence came from my mother, Alma Hamilton, her mother, Minta Jones, and my aunt Josephine Gentry. My mother and father ran a rehabilitation business in Sandusky Ohio for 25 years. They provided housing, food and employment to homeless men with drug and alcohol abuse problems. During that time, Mom and Dad were very active in the community and church. They had both been married previously, with children from those marriages. Because of this, our house was usually abuzz with people, and Mom was always cooking. Dad had a huge garden, and Mom was always "putting up" for the winter. At 17 Mom and Dad moved to Tennessee, to get back to their roots and to be close to their families. This proved to be a "blessing in disguise" for me, as it allowed me to spend quite a bit of time with my Dad's sister "Aunt Jo." Aunt Jo was a seamstress who made custom draperies for people, and was widely known for her talents. She hung draperies in some of Knoxville Tennessee's finest old homes many of which were in the Sequoia Hills and Holston areas of town. Sometimes, if I was lucky, I could ride along with her and "watch the transformation" as she took a beautiful home and made it spectacular with her wares. She would completely "take over" a household as she moved from the bathroom to bedroom and living areas. Aunt Jo loved people, and loved to talk, when she was finished and the draperies were hung - wow! To this day there are still JG drapes hanging in those fine homes in Knoxville Tennessee. A legacy for sure... Aunt Jo was also a magnificent country cook. She taught me the "right" ways to make a lot of the dishes I still cook to this day. I'll never forget the things she taught me, and the endless hours she spent talking to me, and telling me stories about our family! My mother Alma was a fantastic country cook as well. She made the best fresh green beans anyone's ever had, and people let her know it! We'd spend days at a time canning them from Dad's garden each fall. She'd get up very early every day to begin canning and freezing so thanks to Mom's hard work we always had garden vegetables all winter long. "Granny Jones" was what we all called my grandmother, Minta. She was my Mom's mother, and she ran the family's farm in Crossville Tennessee where she raised eleven children. During WWII, all four of her sons left...and all four came home! She was a deeply faithful woman, and very close to God. She was also another amazing country cook whom I learned how to make "biscuits and gravy" as well as quite a few other things for the table. All of these women, as well as others in my life have helped me to become what I am today; A Sheriff Deputy's wife of 21 years, a mother of two wonderful boys, Scot and Cody, a baker and cake decorator, and hopefully--a good friend to everyone. I feel excited and happy when I'm cooking for people. I love nothing more than to see the look on someone's face if they're happy with one of my creations. It gives me purpose to know that I'm helping to make someone's vacation a little "more" elegant and comforting because they're enjoying one of my desserts. Feeding people is definitely in my "genes." When I'm standing in the kitchen, cleaning up after a long day of baking and decorating your cakes, cheesecakes, or country desserts, I know I've done what I was supposed to do for that day, and if I've received a compliment for it, well--all the better! I look forward to possibly creating a dessert for your family, as well. When you taste those first few bites, I hope you'll remember, you are tasting a lot of heritage! --Judy-- | |
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