Oftentimes we like what we like because it’s what we know. And what we know is based on the experiences and traditions we learned growing up. So many of our best memories and time-honored traditions are wrapped up in food and time spent with loved ones around the table. While table time these days does not occur often for many on-the-go families, one thing is certain—you can always count on having a place set for you at the table of a Southern grandmother. It’s these quintessential ladies who continue to make sure that the art of entertaining stays alive and well in homes throughout the South.
When At My Grandmother’s Knee was published in 2011, a number of readers shared that they sat down with their copy, intending to look for a recipe, but instead ended up reading it from cover to cover because they loved the stories. And as we found out in interviewing ladies for that book, there were just as many Southern men who, on the spot, could recall their memories of Grandma and the much-loved food she made, and wished they could participate. So At My Grandmother’s Table was born—this edition based on the same theme, but featuring both Southern grandsons and granddaughters reminiscing about their beloved family matriarchs, whether known best to them as Nana, Grana, Memaw, or just simply Grandma.
Ideally, the love of a grandmother is pure and unconditional, spoken uniquely throughout her life with countless gestures—often by what she creates with her hands and heart. Some of us have tangible keepsakes handmade by our grandmothers—quilts, blankets, doll clothes, etc.—yet for most of us the keepsakes are intangible, built on years of rich memories made at the table with loved ones around it. There will always be certain foods, scents, sights, and sounds that can transport us right back to our places at our grandmas’ tables or helping in their kitchens. Our senses can evoke such sweet thoughts of those incredible Southern dishes that have become our favorites—it’s no wonder then that this cuisine is best described as comfort food! Most Southern grandmas will agree—there is no greater way to show their love for family and friends than with their special gift of hosting a meal or gathering, complete with all the homemade fixins.
What comes to mind when you think of your grandmother’s table? Who is sitting around it? What’s on it? . . . For me, the smell of a long-baked ham or a beef roast with carrots and potatoes reminds me of a Sunday afternoon at my Grandma Porter’s house. Also on the table would be high-rise homemade dinner rolls, a crystal dish with dark green lime pickles, homemade noodles, and a mile-high angel food cake with maple icing for dessert. At Grandma Ferkan’s, it would be her giant sugar cookies inside the big apple cookie jar, homemade haluski with cheese dumplings in the tan and brown–speckled bowl, and mint ginger ale served over ice in white and color–striped glasses—all prepared with my Aunt Emma in the kitchen.
I lost my last grandparent at the age of ten. How I’ve longed for more time with any of them. While certainly not a replacement, I fortunately had my parents, brothers, many aunts and uncles, and older cousins who could help fill in some of the missing details. It’s through old pictures, letters, recipes, and stories passed down that we can carry on the traditions of our loved ones and introduce those traditions to new generations.
I’m grateful for maternal cousins Debbie, Carol, and Larry, who have been assembling recipes to archive our family favorites. And for those of us becoming the new older generation in our families, may we always value the importance of a legacy and carrying on the traditions of those who came before us by celebrating life events, honoring a life passed, or getting together “just because.” I don’t know about your gatherings, but for us, regardless of the occasion, it becomes story time—keeping the past alive by sharing old ones and creating new memories that just might become tomorrow’s retold gems.
Whether you’re lucky enough to still be invited by your grandma or if you’re now part of the next generation doing the inviting, it’s important that we continue to come together and celebrate when we can—both to showcase our time-honored rituals and traditions for younger generations and to create new experiences for stories yet untold.
And, by all means, share your recipes—based on the pleasant memories that food evokes, you can honor a special someone every time you re-create her famous dish.
So grab your iced tea, sit back, and join me—page by page—at the tables of these treasured Southern grandmothers. Enjoy!
FAYE PORTER