Lynchburg Hostess Tips and Tricks
You can plan and plan and cook forever, but if host and guest don’t do their parts, good food and drink can’t save an occasion. At Miss Mary’s, each table is led by a seasoned hostess who does her very best to ensure a good time for all. It’s not always easy, but it is always rewarding.
Our Lynchburg hostesses are mostly retired ladies who love to talk to and be with people. Many hostesses had teaching careers or served in public in some way and still enjoy greeting and learning from our guests who visit from all across the country and the world. The ladies know more than a thing or two about good country cooking too. Many are excellent home cooks with years of experience entertaining friends and raising families.
In the many years I’ve been at Miss Mary’s, we’ve had more than a hundred wonderful hostesses, including my mother and the mothers of some of our hostesses today. They all tell me it’s the best job for anyone who loves to talk and eat! We’ve had many guests announce that upon retirement they’ll be moving to Lynchburg and filling out a hostess job application.
Keep our simple approach in mind for all gatherings. Simply put, a good hostess uses good manners and common sense.
Introductions break the ice. We ask each guest to introduce themselves before beginning the meal. Conversation comes easier when you know a first name and hometown. Suddenly, there’s plenty to talk about. Our hostesses look our guests in the eye and give them a smile.
Talk up the menu. We want our guests to appreciate the specially chosen menu. You will at your party too. As the bowls are passed to the left, we talk a little about each dish and encourage generous helpings. At home I do the same, taking care to point out the bar and share highlights of the buffet or dinner. Many of our guests have never seen or tasted Southern food, so our hostesses get a big kick out of explaining dishes like grits casserole and fried okra.
Get conversation rolling. Be prepared to ask lots of good questions and help your guests find common ground. Our hostesses are excellent talkers who enjoy asking, asking, and asking, and giving a few answers too. They ask about your hometown, your weather, your local cooking, your career, your travel plans, your children, your grandchildren, your hobbies, your visit to the distillery and the town square, and your favorite dish. Our table hostesses always keep a few funny stories and local lore in mind to jumpstart a quiet table. Good listening makes better conversation.
Go with the flow. A seasoned hostess expects the unexpected. Even at Miss Mary’s, we’ve weathered plenty of dinner dilemmas with a laugh and a smile. That’s part of the fun. You never know what the next group of guests will bring to the table. Your good guests will always be ready to jump in and help.
You can imagine after all these years our hostesses have lots of funny stories to tell, and they do. The laughter that comes out of the hostess break room proves it. They call it their own version of group therapy. I heard one say, “If we could bottle the laughter and joy in here, we’d have another spirit to sell!”
Baby Spinach and Beets with Hog Jowl Dressing
Makes 8 servings
Everything is better with bacon (and Jack Daniel’s), including rich, earthy beets. Our favorite “bacon” is actually hog jowl that we buy sliced by the pound. I also buy hog jowl in a big piece that I cut into golf ball-size pieces and freeze and it’s ready to season a pot of beans or greens anytime. Canned beets are convenient, but fresh ones roasted in the oven or in a foil packet on the grill are even better. I also microwave fresh unpeeled beets in a covered dish with a splash of water. Microwave them for a few minutes until tender. The skins will peel right off when cool. Sprinkle the salad with blue cheese crumbles if you like.
1 pound baby spinach
1 can (14 ½ ounces) sliced beets, drained
6 slices hog jowl or bacon
1 medium Vidalia onion, chopped
2 teaspoons sugar
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey
Salt and black pepper, to taste
Blue cheese crumbles, optional
Croutons
Combine the spinach and beets in a salad bowl. Cook the hog jowl in a skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove, cool, and crumble. Add the onion and sugar to the drippings in the skillet and cook until the onion is softened. Stir in the vinegar and Jack Daniel’s. Cook and stir until slightly thickened. Pour over the spinach and beets, and season with salt and pepper. Toss to combine. Sprinkle with the crumbled hog jowl, blue cheese, and croutons. Serve immediately.
Makes 8 servings
Brown sugar blended with a little Jack Daniel’s is a marvelous complement to fresh fruits. The flavor is rich but doesn’t overpower the fruit. Don’t worry if you’re lacking a fruit or two called for in the recipe. Mix it up with what’s in season and what’s in the refrigerator crisper drawer. We love a handful of mini marshmallows thrown in and occasionally some toasted chopped pecans.
3 seedless oranges, peeled and cut into bite-size chunks
1 small fresh pineapple, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 firm, ripe bananas, sliced
1 medium bunch red seedless grapes
1 pint fresh strawberries, halved
¾ cup brown sugar, or to taste
¼ cup Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey
½ cup shredded coconut
1 cup chopped toasted pecans, optional
Combine the oranges, pineapple, bananas, grapes, and strawberries in a large bowl. In a small bowl combine the sugar and Jack Daniel’s. Blend well and gently stir the mixture into the fruit. Sprinkle with coconut and pecans.