Paducah author Pamela Whinnery has collected recipes from Tennessee and Kentucky celebrities and published them in two cookbooks. On Sounds Good, she explains how she went about collecting the recipes from Academy award winners, to well-known musicians, to Olympic medalists. Whinnery splits the proceeds of sales of the cookbooks with non-profits, large and small and previews the event Monday at WKCTC.
Paducah author Pamela Whinnery shares recipes and signs books at West Kentucky Community and Technical College next Monday, November 17 from 11 a.m. to Noon in Matheson Library. There'll also be a sampling of dishes from her cookbook, Favorite Recipes of Kentucky Celebrities.
Whinnery says this project became a hobby after retiring from USEC, as something fun to do and to give back to the community, by donating proceeds to nonprofits. Her goal was to collect recipes from famous people and places in books that could be used as a fundraiser for any organization. So far, 200 organizations in Kentucky and 100 in Tennessee have benefited from her work.
Some her favorites from the Kentucky book include one from a restaurant in Midway for a light chocolate pudding with bourbon sauce. Another favorite is from Academy Award winner Bub Asman (Letters from Iwo Jima and Flags of Our Fathers) for an Italian pork roast. In her exchange with Asman, he remarked "I knew those Oscars would pay off!" From the Tennessee book, she notes Sam Pickering's recipe that was sent with a short story about a mountain man selling dandelion roots for coffee. Pickering is said to be the inspiration for the character Mr. Keating, portrayed by Robin Williams in Dead Poets Society.
Whinnery set out to find representatives from the entire Commonwealth, from Miley Cyrus and her father from Flatwoods in the east to Olympic gold medalist Kenny Rollins from Wickliffe in the west. Whinnery says the celebrities she contacted were very generous. That often celebrities are asked for money or an expensive item like a guitar, but she asked them for their favorite recipe and a note as to why it was their favorite. The Kentucky book took her six years to collect, the Tennessee book came together in 18 months.
WKCTC prepares recipes from the Kentucky book for their book signing event on Monday, November 17 from 11 a.m. to Noon. Part of their Matheson Monday in the Library, proceeds go to the WKCTC scholarship fund. Recipes featured come from a bed and breakfast in Eddyville, an artist from Flemingsburg, a Kentucky author and an Elvis impersonator from Paducah.
On Saturday, November 15, she'll be at a book signing at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Murray from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. as part of their bake sale and market. Proceeds go towards a mission project.
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Favorite Recipes of Kentucky Celebrities by Pamela Whinnery
Country Goodness Recipes of Tennessee Celebrities by Pamela Whinnery
