The techniques, flavors and ingredients of those days influenced everything she cooked. That blue notebook of mimeographed recipes from her classes still sits comfortably in the far right hand corner of Ethel Ann’s kitchen. And though she would never call herself anything more than “a mediocre home cook” ---- her meals are legend in her family and social circle. And her baking, though quintessentially Southern, has a continental twist.
On the phone, when our chef/owner finally confessed his plans to her, she reminded him of that and announced, “ . . . and doing it professionally is just CRAZY!” But she also had two new recipes for him. “Just to see if they would work,” she said.
Ethel Ann has said many times that anyone who loves to cook only has to do it “when they want to.” “Have four children,” she says, “and see if you still love it.”