Joy Burrell

In younger years, spinach lasagna was my go-to”gourmet”dish. I was known for pound cakes & rum balls at church. Choosing one dish,though, my Spanicopita is the signature. My spinach pie journey was inspired by a deep fried version I was served at a festival. It was horrid. My family has influenced the recipe. We like two fetas, fresh lemon, nutmeg, olive oilANDbutter & lots of fresh herbs. We prefer hand pies & have been known to add a salmon filet.

My parents are my culinary inspiration. Mama encouraged eating in season with her gardens & homemade bread. We baked cookies for every school event,from scratch & on-theme. Mama’s cinnamon rolls melted in your mouth. Daddy taught mise en place and how to taste spices through smell. Exotic meats were not uncommon in his kitchen. Dad’s cornbread-seafood dressing was legendary. I use their lessons&tools daily to create nourishing foods with what’s on hand.

A KitchenHouse & CommunityFreeFridge have long been the plan for our homestead. Moving 1,100 miles from inner city to forest was among recent big changes in my life. My mother’s 1932MagicChef came with me & needs to be put back into service. A dedicated food hub would allow me to provide cooking classes ,fresh meals & home baked goods for my family & neighbors. My dream is to facilitate food connectivity for my community.