Cooking is my first love and shoes are a close second, both were introduced to me by my aunt whom I love and miss dearly.
Mary Novella (AKA Baa, pronounced bay) , is responsible for much of who I am today. I attribute my love of cooking to her as well as my appreciation for beautiful shoes.
When other 6 year old kids were outside playing I was in her kitchen, “helping” her out (probably getting in the way more than anything) by shelling peas and washing greens.
By the time I was in middle school, I was frying chicken for my friends and baking cookies from scratch at sleepovers
These yeast rolls were a whole different animal to master because as with all good things they take time. Patience isn’t necessarily my strong suit today and it definitely wasn’t in my teens and 20’s.
Baa was a tough critic- another thing we have in common. But I was determined to get her undisputed approval for my cooking.
I’ll never forget the look on Baa’s face when successfully I made these for the first time though. She was so proud and I was happy that I got her unadulterated approval.
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We always talked about food and cooking. I remember how we talked about how one day we were going to NYC for a taping of Emeril Live! That was so long ago but it feels like yesterday!
We never made it- Emeril no longer does the show and sadly we lost her to cancer in 2006.
For me, cooking is my way of staying connected with her despite the fact that she’s been gone for 17 years.
When I’m in the kitchen, it reminds me of when I was in the kitchen with her. Especially when I wear her apron, or use one of her pots or cast iron skillets.
In a way, she’s been helping me all along by giving me a passion that has kept me going during some of the toughest times of my life.
So when I decided to pursue this dream of mine, I certainly had her in mind. She may not have been able to realize our dream of going to see Emeril, but I have no doubt she’s rooting for me as I realize my dream of taking Cookin’ n Heels to the next level!
Standing on her shoulders, I feel beholden to her to go all out!
Cookin' n Heels 
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