| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| FebruaryViolet |
Posted - Jun 02 2010 : 07:17:17 AM
My husband is always raving about my baking skills, specifically my pies, to anyone who will listen--which is very flattering  On Monday, he asked me to make my Sweet Potato pie for a work gathering--I was happy to oblige.
It's an old family recipe (from my great-grandmother's nanny), from Louisiana. The recipe is a simple one, as the old ones often are, but it has a little "extra" something added, from the woman who originated it, "Thomasina". She was Haitian, or Dominican, I'm not sure, but she was a freed slave and the "special touch" she put in there tells me "about where" she came from before she was brought to this country. A clue to her heritage. And, so, to me, this "recipe" is MORE than a recipe. It's a direct connection to my heritage, to my history and to women I've never known, except through making this pie. I KNOW them when I'm mixing it, rolling the crust and hand grating the spices.
So, the Chef at the restaurant loved the pie (with an exception--a butter crust instead of lard/crisco) and wanted my recipe. Hounded me for the recipe to serve at the restaurant--friendly needling. But I said, "no..."--not in an unfriendly way--just, "no". Because, in my head, the only person who will get this recipe is our daughter, Violet. It's part of her inheritance, so to speak. To carry on this wonderful tradition the women of my family have entrusted to me.
Last night, when my husband went to work, the Chef was still hounding him for the recipe--to the point where (he, the Chef) sortof mocked me and said, "Noone HOLDS onto recipes anymore--they're not sacred, they're just ingredients." And I'm thinking, "if you're a Chef, trained at the Culinary Institute of America, why don't you get your own darn recipe for Sweet Potato pie if it's not a big deal....why does he want mine so badly?"
I tried to tell my husband that giving him the recipe was like giving him my godmother's diamonds. This guy wouldn't call it "Thomasina's Sweet Potato Pie"....he would just call it Sweet Potato pie and give it some sort of half-hearted description on the menu.
Am I being stupid? I mean, it's not like I get anything out of my pie being on his menu. And when he leaves, he takes Thomasina's pie wherever he goes and it becomes just "pie".
Girls, I can count on you for an honest opinion...Have you ever given a guarded family recipe out? Am I just being a simpleton? My husband seems to understand, but I know he's thinking it would be great to have this pie showcased somewhere. I'm no glory-hound--I like the joy that comes from making it for a gathering and sharing the love of this pie.
Musings from our family in the Bluegrass http://sweetvioletmae.blogspot.com/ |
| 25 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| shunger |
Posted - Jun 08 2010 : 7:48:21 PM
You are wonderful to want to keep the recipe. Some things need to be honored and you are doing this with your recipe. |
| Room To Grow |
Posted - Jun 08 2010 : 7:26:52 PM
I agree....dont give in
we have moved to our farm...and love it |
| OneCraftyBugger |
Posted - Jun 08 2010 : 6:58:02 PM
DONT give anyone the recipie... BUT I might make a few extra dollars by offering to make and sell him pies which he could in turn sell by the slice in his resturant.
Oh happy day! Farmgirl sister #1485
http://www.etsy.com/shop/TheFeltedGnome
http://bellasaysitsso.blogspot.com/
http://theswappingcrafter.blogspot.com/ |
| Sue Feely |
Posted - Jun 07 2010 : 09:08:45 AM
I would not give him a cherished family recipe, no way, he sounds like a jerk to me, trying to bully you into giving him the recipe by say "no body hangs onto them anymore". Don't give in! |
| graciegreeneyes |
Posted - Jun 07 2010 : 09:05:27 AM
Jonni - totally agree with you on keeping the recipe for Violet - and that is the coolest thing that you have the recipe box and are already thinking to collect recipes for it! The best wedding present we got was an oak recipe box that my dad made filled with family recipes - my parents insisted on sending out the invitations for our wedding for me, turns out they sent a request to everyone to send in recipes for a gift. I have recipes written in 2 of my great-grandma's handwriting and others - that is something to cherish!!
Amy Grace
Farmgirl #224
"use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without"
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| knitnpickinatune |
Posted - Jun 07 2010 : 08:22:01 AM
I'm agreeing with the ladies here. I'm surprised a pro chef can't figure out most of it by taste-I'm sure he could get close to what you make just by seeing what his taste buds are telling him about flavoring. But-you wouldn't get a dime out of it & your daughters future pie would be common in your area. Have you thought about baking the pies & selling them to him to serve in his establishment? Then he could have the pie without the work. If you do,be sure your name is on the pie & not his.
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mando pickin & fiddle sawin' Farmgirl #702 |
| texdane |
Posted - Jun 06 2010 : 2:17:56 PM
Jonni,
Keep your recipe sacred! I totally understand. I have a cookie recipe of my grandmother's that she brought from Greece with her. It too has a "secret' ingredient. I make them at Christmas (they aren't easy) and make them as gifts for family and firends. I was hounded by someone and finally caved with the recipe. She promptly changed the recipe and made them for some of my friends. Besides, the chef sounds kind of snooty with his "no one holds recipes sacred"...proove him wrong!
Nicole
Farmgirl Sister #1155
KNITTER, JAM-MAKER AND MOM EXTRAORDINAIRE |
| Annab |
Posted - Jun 04 2010 : 03:30:10 AM
Thought of you last night as I was picking blackberries. I bet you could really put a hurtin' on some berries!
Pity we don't live closer, as I love to pick for you in exchange for a pie.
And alas, my kitchen is still ripped up, so it's killing me to not be able to bake on my days off |
| classygram |
Posted - Jun 04 2010 : 03:01:04 AM
Jonni you stick with it. It's your family recipe and he can just find him another one.Without the secret ingred. I know what you mean, I have a knitting pattern that was handed down and was asked to keep it in the family. I've made it for several people but not the pattern. This will be past on to my grand-daughter who is ten and showing real interest in knitting. Maybe as a special treat, you could give him one to serve. Than let him experiment on his on secret ingred.
"What lies behind us, and what lies before us are small matter compared to what lies within us."
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Seek reasons to Love..In every sigment of everyday-look for something that brings forth within you a feeling of Love-Abraham Hicks |
| vintagediva1 |
Posted - Jun 03 2010 : 3:30:23 PM
You could offer to sell it to him for some outrageous price like Mrs. Fields LOL
Michele
www.2vintagedivas.etsy.com
www.sissyandsisterstitch.etsy.com
www.sissyandsisterstitch.artfire.com
Love that good ole vintage junk |
| sherrye |
Posted - Jun 03 2010 : 08:10:37 AM
well heres my idea. sounds like you are in food service or close to folks that are. i would only give the recipe to violet. i would be sure a copy is where she can find it. poop happens.. sorry girls,, if your gone does the recipe go too? my dad is gone and so is his recipe for jerky. its very sad.
Now may i add.. if you are ever in need of money you could easily have an income from sweet potato pie. we had a gal here that made scones in her home. she sold only to the pine tavern restaurant. she supported her kids that way. you can get your kitchen licensed and do it at home. the girls are right. the recipe is good it could be income for violet when she is older. she could make them and sell. you know how clever farm girls are. cook the pies.. make a profit selling to him... smile all the way to the bank ( well kitchen) just my thought. i love my moms recipes from southern influence. happy days sherrye
the learn as we go silk purse farm
farmgirl #1014
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| miss kris |
Posted - Jun 03 2010 : 06:23:43 AM
Just added my 2 cents - keep your recipe - he has no business hounding you and certainly not your husband for it. I agree with Lisa, if you give him a recipe, give him a simple one out of a book. If he is a good baker, he could play with his own recipe until he got close it your taste.
For what it is worth - Kris
For I know the plans I have for you...Jer.29:11 |
| FebruaryViolet |
Posted - Jun 03 2010 : 05:47:43 AM
Thanks for the vote of confidence, girls. I didn't even mention it last night to my husband--in fact, in my mind, it's a non-issue anymore. I'll make the pie for people I love and care for--I'll make the pie for gatherings of friends and strangers alike, and maybe one day, I'll make it for a little cash in my pocket, but it's my "herstory" (history) and I'm keeping it as such. As you have all said, and my first thought was, "surely he can come up with something comparable on his own."
I'm not giving Thomasina's pie recipe to just any ole' body!
I have my Nanny's Gold Medal Flour oak recipe box from the 30's, and I'm slowly adding hand written recipe cards for Violet so that one, day, it can be a graduation or shower gift to her, for when she starts her life away from home (sniff).
Musings from our family in the Bluegrass http://sweetvioletmae.blogspot.com/ |
| Annab |
Posted - Jun 03 2010 : 03:39:43 AM
Something with that much history ought to be passed along in the family.
That's really a special thing. With all kinds of recipes on the internet, I'm sure this culinary guru can find something out there.
And if it were me and he wanted it THAT badly, I'd say it comes with a price, and YOU can't afford it!
I understand you wanting to pass it along to Violet, but I believe you have piqued our curiosity too!
Hang onto it sista and don't let this guy back you down! |
| Rxgirl |
Posted - Jun 02 2010 : 8:29:45 PM
Lisa, that's hilarious! I wouldn't give it away either, let him come up with his own. It's not like he's a close friend who just wants to share it with his family,he'll be making it for profit with no heart behind it.
farmgirl #1432
"He who throws mud only loses ground"-Fat Albert |
| Mumof3 |
Posted - Jun 02 2010 : 7:42:14 PM
Tuck the recipe in the back of the drawer and put a padlock on it. In other words- don't give it to him. ;)
Karin
www.perfectlittlemiracle.blogspot.com
www.athreadofred.blogspot.com |
| Miss Bee Haven |
Posted - Jun 02 2010 : 7:10:16 PM
Shame on that chef guy. What a jerk! Keep the recipe to yourself. Lisa is completely brilliant(but we knew that)! I think you should do what she said. That way, the guy get off Justin's back and the whole thing is over.
Farmgirl Sister #50
"If you think you've got it nailed down, then what's all that around it?"
'Br.Dave Gardner' |
| melody |
Posted - Jun 02 2010 : 5:09:49 PM
NOPE don't give it to him! Stand firm. This is YOUR history!
And, what a treasure to hand down to your daughter...
Melody
Farmgirl #525
www.melodynotes-melodynotes.blogspot.com
http://www.farmgirlhistory.blogspot.com/
www.lemonverbenasoap.etsy.com
www.longtallsallys.etsy.com
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| melanie47601 |
Posted - Jun 02 2010 : 4:00:19 PM
What a wonderful story Jonni! I agree with the gals of course- it is your recipe and you should keep it. It is like a family heirloom.
Melanie
Be the kind of woman that when your feet hit the floor each morning the devil says "Oh Crap, She's up!"
Blog~ http://wheelsarealwaysturning.blogspot.com/
Swap Blog~ http://mels-swapshop.blogspot.com/ |
| Heather B |
Posted - Jun 02 2010 : 12:18:39 PM
I wouldnt give the recipe away. No should mean No. I'm sure if the tables were turned the chef would have told you no if it was something special. So don't worry!
Heather
P.S. Lisa your idea is a winner!
http://homesteadincity.blogspot.com/
"Only your real friends tell you when your face is dirty"
Farm Girl Sister #662 |
| FebruaryViolet |
Posted - Jun 02 2010 : 12:08:34 PM
Kendy, that's (one of) my dreams, actually...a pie kitchen. All kinds of pies, savory, too, like the ones I ate living in Cornwall, England. So, ultimately, there is a goal for these recipes and family keepsakes...Wish you lived nearby, I'm a huge supporter of small businesses, especially ones run by gals of the baking inclination :)
Like you, I really love to share my food and the love that goes into with people. Maybe just not my recipe ;)
Musings from our family in the Bluegrass http://sweetvioletmae.blogspot.com/ |
| missmuffcake |
Posted - Jun 02 2010 : 12:01:51 PM
I have a little vegan baking business here and I have worked to develop my recipes over the years. I often take my stuff to potlucks and I have had people ask me for the recipe, I tell them "no, this is my dream, my love"...People often do not get it, are to 'cheap' to buy my stuff and will stack plates full of my stuff at the potlucks and give me the evil eye. Since I do not have a store front at the moment (working on that) people think that my recipes are not a big deal...When you go to your fave place to eat - do they bring the recipes for your dish with the check? Nope!!!
I think in the future you can maybe do a home business with your pies, sharing the love but keeping the vital info close at heart!
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http://www.missmuffcake.com/ |
| Betty J. |
Posted - Jun 02 2010 : 11:58:25 AM
I say if he is a Culinary Chef, let him figure it out. All that education should be worth something. I would put a price so high on it that he couldn't afford it too!! It's yours to do with as you see fit.
Betty in Pasco |
| FebruaryViolet |
Posted - Jun 02 2010 : 11:56:53 AM
Well, girls, thank you so much for confirming what my gut (and my heart) tells me. I'm really not overly concerned about his motives because, well, I wasn't very much leaning towards giving it to him to begin with. It IS really important to me to have something like this to leave to Violet. I remember my Great Grandmother, Theodocia, standing in her housedress in that long, galley kitchen with all the white porcelain enamelware sink and pans, making a Sugar Cream Pie (that I've never been able to find a recipe for because she didn't write it down) and I'd like for Violet to have "sensory" memories, too--I am descended from wonderful cooks (and hopefully, she will be one, too!). And Lisa, what a hoot!
Karin...yeah, that sort of "fixed" it for me, too. He can make fun, trivialize me and my feelings all he wants to...it just keeps him further from the pie recipe :)
Musings from our family in the Bluegrass http://sweetvioletmae.blogspot.com/ |
| maggie14 |
Posted - Jun 02 2010 : 11:47:27 AM
I like Lisa's idea. lol
Hugs,
Channah
Farmgirl sister #1219
Just a small town country girl trying to live her dreams. :) |
