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Virginia C apitol C onnections, Winter 2015 17
An idea started to simmer at
the Virginia Capitol when Senate
Doorkeeper Ida Annette Minor Ward
struck up a conversation with lobbyist
David L. Bailey about pies.
“I have always, throughout my
childhood, loved sweet potato pie,” said
Bailey. “They’re hard to find—the ones
that were made the way I remember
them.”
That was the only ingredient Ward
needed to cook up a great idea. She said,
“Oh, you’ve got to get my mother’s recipe!”
Ward did something even better than passing along the recipe.
She baked a pie, and dropped it off to Bailey. His reaction was like
the icing on the cake.
“It was just the same pie that I remember!” he exclaimed.
Encouraged by his hunger for more, Ward carefully combined
a 635-page cookbook: “Switchin in Da Kitchen with Mama
‘Nem,” a collection of recipes inspired by Ward’s mother, Ida
B. Minor, who is Mama, a culinary queen of Southern cuisine.
The book also contains mouthwatering recipes from “Nem,” Mrs.
Ida’s sisters and friends, and also recipes from other sources.
What comes out of the book, piping hot, are such delights
as Mrs. Ida’s Old Fashioned Christmas Fruitcake, Aunt Gertie’s
Pineapple Pie, Aunt Nolie’s Oven-Baked Wrinkle Steaks (also
known as chitterlings), Miller and Rhoads-Style Turkey Pot
Pie, Thelma Carter’s Sweet Potato Casserole, Lucille’s Spinach
Fried Rice, Kim’s Delicious Broiled Asparagus, Grandma’s Corn
Pudding, Mrs. Smith’s Old-Fashioned Potato Salad, and Choir
Rehearsal Fried Cabbage.
And that’s just a taste! There are many more recipes. There are
helpful cooking points, from how to freeze soups into convenient
single servings, to how to use Coca-Cola to make your ham
moister. You’ve also got preplanned menus, including those for
picky children, who will love Bologna Cheese Rolls, Tuna Cakes,
and Pasta Wheels and Cheese. You’ve got Parent Points, including
Old Timey Table Manners and Crafts. You’ve got KitchenWeights
and Measures, and Advice on canning and cleaning. I bet you
didn’t know you could use vodka to remove bandages, or that
you could use bubble bath to wash your car. Even if you are a
hesitant cook, we guarantee you will like Chapter 7, which gives
a Spotlight on Three of the Richmond Area’s Premier Southern
Cooking Restaurants, including store hours, favorite recipes, and
even noise levels.
“Switchin in Da Kitchen with Mama ‘Nem” captures a
priceless tradition of Southern cooking and family bonds. It is a
beautiful tribute to lives well lived.
Bonnie Atwood, a freelance writer with Tall Poppies Freelance
Writing LLC, is the winner of 24 national and state writing
awards, and represents legislative clients with David Bailey
Associates. She can be reached at .
Switchin in Da Kitchen By Bonnie Atwood
Kevin Reese, teaching artist and enthusiastic motivator.
One of the participants finally found her own piece of art on display. A mobile made by one of the students during the workshop.
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