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Look Who’s Cooking is an occasional series highlighting exceptional home cooks in The Roanoke Times coverage area. If you’d like to nominate a cook, email lindsey.nair@roanoke.com.

Name: Cathy Crawford

Age: 52

Home: Roanoke

Occupation: Partner at Circa Homes, LLC; landscape gardener.

Nominated by: Friend Beth Macy, who is a reporter for The Roanoke Times, wrote: “Everything [Cathy makes] is really healthy but just bursting with flavor. I’m telling you, there’s nothing she can’t cook to perfection. And a lot of her food comes from her own garden.”

Why I love cooking: Two top reasons: I love to eat; I love to share what I eat.

But also, I love the sensual experience of creating something delicious — the chop, chop, chop of onions on the cutting board, their sizzle in the pan with fragrant herbs and spices; shiny red tomatoes, bright green kale, creamy white grits; the heavy eggplant peel falling away and plopping into the sink, destined for the compost; the sharpness or creaminess playing off a tasting spoon. Finally, I love the challenge of seeing what’s available in my pantry (and garden) and then imagining ways to combine them into a great meal.

To continue reading about Cathy, click here.

Click the links to see Cathy’s recipes for:

Belize-inspired Stew
Beans and Rice

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“Look Who’s Cooking” spotlights successful home cooks in our area. Today, we meet Karen Cromwell of Wirtz.

Name: Karen Cromwell

Age: 45

Home: Wirtz

Occupation: Retired high-tech sales account representative with Sun Microsystems Inc. Now I have a food and entertaining blog, Karencromwell.com. My laptop and camera are always on my kitchen counter.

Nominated by: Friend Andie Gibson (editor of the Smith Mountain Laker), who wrote: “What’s great about Karen is her enthusiasm for food — whether it be tried and true recipes or something new and exotic … and not only does her food taste good, it’s always presented in a creative way and with decorative ‘tablescapes.’”

Why I love cooking: I’m in my kitchen cooking all the time, and I love having my family and friends helping me or just relaxing and talking at the kitchen bar. Cooking brings out the creative side in me, and I love creating and trying new dishes.

To read more about Karen, click here.

Check out her recipe for Roasted Red Pepper Soup.

“Look Who’s Cooking” spotlights successful home cooks in our area. Today, we meet Dr. Bruce Stewart.

Name: Bruce Stewart

Age: 67

Home: Salem

Occupation: Sleep physician

Nominated by: Wife, Barbara Horton, who wrote: “After working all day and working out at the YMCA, I would be content to grab anything easy for dinner, but not Bruce. He wants a tasty and nutritious meal no matter how hectic the day has been. He will try new recipes and lighter versions of old favorites. He doesn’t dwell on mistakes and generally keeps us eating healthy and delicious dinners.”

Why I love cooking: I enjoy the smells of being in the kitchen while food is cooking. I love to make a dish that people enjoy.

To continue reading Bruce’s profile, click here.

To see his recipes, click the links below:

Bruce Stewart’s Flank Steak Scandia

Indonesian Peanut Chicken

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“Look Who’s Cooking” spotlights successful home cooks in our area. Today, we meet Dorothy Bonitz.

Name: Dorothy Bonitz

Home: Stuart

Occupation: Retired inn manager

Nominated by: Friend Paulette Chitwood, who wrote, “The last time I had lunch at her house in Stuart, she served elderberry champagne and ginger beer, along with a Vidalia onion pie and a platter of four thick-sliced, juicy homegrown old variety tomatoes with arugula she grew. Last time I saw Dorothy with a cookbook in her hand it was on African food. ‘Well dear, you know I just had to try it!’ is her favorite saying.”

Why she loves cooking: It allows me to lose myself totally and please all of my senses, especially taste and smell.

Who taught me: Really, necessity is what taught me. I was a young lieutenant’s wife in Quantico and I remember my budget was 15 dollars per week. I resorted to cookbooks and a neighbor, Bev Arneson, who was an adventurous, seasoned cook. She was Swedish by birth … and her husband was a captain, so they had been in Hawaii. She introduced me to teriyaki sauce, which I thought was wonderful.

To continue reading this profile, click here.

To see Dorothy’s recipe for Tilapia Puttanesca, click here.

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Name: Chonita F. Terry

Age: 62

Occupation: Choir director at Belmont Christian Church, retired from Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital

Nominated by: Daughter Jennifer Smith, who wrote: “Every night growing up we had a home-cooked meal on the table. When my brothers and I got older and more involved in after-school activities, there was often a pot of soup or chili simmering on the stove so anybody could run by and grab a bite on the run. Our house was always the gathering place for friends – my mom was everyone’s mom and nobody was turned away.”

Why I love cooking: I’ve always said that so long as my kids want to come home and eat, the time and effort is worth it. Knowing that I’ve provided what my family needs and enjoys gives me a great deal of satisfaction. Few things make a mother happier than when her children ask for the same dishes every holiday because they love to eat them, and because it reminds them of special memories.

To continue reading about Chonita, click here.

Click the link to see her recipe for Peter Paul Mounds Cake.

Jan Perdue. Courtesy photo.

Name: Jan Perdue

Age: 52

Home: Roanoke

Occupation: Domestic diva

Why I love cooking: Sharing home-prepared foods made with love is the way I can give back to my friends and family all the love they give me.

Who taught me: My mother and grandmother were both great cooks. I have wonderful memories of spending my childhood in the kitchen with them in Pennsylvania. My grandmother was Hungarian, so she made a lot of roasts and stews. Mother learned to cook a lot from her, so she often made stuffed cabbage and pork and sauerkraut, as well as spaghetti.

Specialty: Seasonal, garden-to-table, simple and fresh cuisine. I moved to Roanoke about three and a half years ago and started my first vegetable garden. Growing up, we never ate vegetables except if they came out of a can or something. Homemade food is kind of coming back now.

For example, I make homemade hot cocoa. Hot cocoa is a tablespoon of cocoa and a tablespoon of sugar and milk – how easy can that be? Why did we ever do it the other way? It doesn’t make sense.

To continue reading about Jan, click here.

Check out Jan’s recipe for oyster bisque here.

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Name: Paul Giordano

Age: 44

Home: Roanoke

Occupation: Printer repair technician

Why I love cooking: I love to entertain and try new foods. We have usually anywhere from 10 to as many as 20 people over at a time, and we have annual events like a crabfest where we bring in a bushel of crabs and everyone brings a dish.

Nominated by: Sister-in-law Ragan Farris, who wrote that Giordano’s specialties are “outstanding smoked dishes,” including pork butt, prime rib, ribs and beer-butt chicken, as well as “melt-in-your-mouth Italian dishes with handmade pasta.”

“I cherish Christmas Eve celebrations over a traditional Feast of the Seven Fishes where my brother-in-law shows off all of his culinary skills. I don’t know where the ‘Cranky Yankee’ gets his finesse in the kitchen, but I am glad to know my sister will never go hungry!”

To continue reading this profile, click here.

Paul Giordano’s recipes:

Filet mignon
Pork rub and brine

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Name: Heidi Garrabrant

Age: 28

Home: Roanoke

Occupation: Recently started a catering company called Blossom Raw Food Cuisine.

Nominated by: Friend and associate Jim Vodnik, who wrote: “I have a nominee for your feature, but with a twist I’ll call it ‘Look Who’s Uncooking.’ My nominee is Heidi Garrabrant, Roanoke resident and excellent raw vegan chef. All of her creations are pleasing to the eye and palate and besides that are healthy, even the desserts.”

Why I love cooking: I love putting energy into foods that not only heal and nourish the body, but taste amazing as well.

Who taught me: I am self-taught. When I first got into raw food I decided to try it for a month, mostly as a detox. But I had a lot of extra energy, mostly because I wasn’t having to digest all of that crappy food that my body is not meant to digest.

I also got to a healthy body weight, my skin improved and my mood improved. I did a lot of research, a lot of experimentation and a lot of reading.

A lot of people aren’t familiar with soaking things or sprouting. They aren’t familiar with a lot of the ingredients, like raw vegan gelatin or agave nectar. It is mostly just trial and error.

To read the rest of this profile, click here.

To see Garrabrant’s recipe for raw tacos, click here.

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Name: Kim LeBlanc

Home: Blacksburg (originally from California)

Occupation: Water works operator. I make water.

Nominated by: My wife, Megan LeBlanc, who thinks she’ll get a nice dinner out of it.

Megan wrote, “My husband Kim can cook anything you can think of at restaurant-level quality. He can whip up a four-star meal with the least of ingredients. He’s creative and spontaneous, to boot – I got a chocolate custard out of the blue a couple weeks ago when I mentioned I wanted something sweet.”

Read more about Kim here.

See his recipe for Sweet & Spicy Pork.

Name: Doug Porter

Age: 55

Home: Roanoke

Occupation: Manager of computer systems at StellarOne Bank

Nominated by: Doug’s wife, Leigh Porter, as well as a slew of her colleagues at Mountain View Elementary in Roanoke County. Leigh, the school principal, wrote in January: “I have the best home cook that you could imagine. In fact, he is such an awesome cook that I married him just one month ago †the love this man gives to me and my staff through his cooking is unbelievable.”

To continue reading about Doug, click here.

To see his recipe for Parmesan Chicken with Lemon and Capers, click here.

Photo courtesy grillmaster Robin Reed.

Name: Robin Reed

Age: 55

Home: Fincastle

Occupation: Chief meteorologist at WDBJ (Channel 7)

Nominated by: Roanoke Times food writer Lindsey Nair, who has been hearing for years that Robin’s a great cook and decided it was time to check into this rumor.

Why I love cooking: It draws family and friends together. When done well, it makes memories.

To continue reading this profile, click here.

For Robin’s recipe for pork tenderloin, click here.

To see Robin’s recipe for fried corn, click here.

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Name: Brent Adkins

Age: 42

Home: Roanoke

Occupation: Philosophy professor at Roanoke College

Nominated by: Mom Jenny Adkins, who wrote, “Brent has created a class of Italian cooking that is offered every few years as a summer or spring course [at Roanoke College] in which he teaches students about healthy eating, cooking and also actually goes to the store with students … to buy ingredients needed for their meal that they will prepare in class.”

Why I love cooking: Good food makes people happy.

Who taught me: I was fortunate to live in Italy for a year during graduate school, and there I learned that simply prepared, high-quality ingredients could be delicious.

When I returned from Italy, I had friends who were also interested in cooking. We talked about food and cooked together occasionally. At the time my wife was working long hours at a new job, and I took over more of the cooking duties. So, most importantly, I got lots of practice and slowly began to expand my repertoire.

To keep reading about Brent, click here.

Click these links to see Brent’s recipes for:

Simple Marinara Sauce
Italian Meatballs*
Spinach with Butter and Parmesan

*Meatball recipe was missing one clove of minced garlic when it was published in the newspaper. The garlic has been added in this online version.

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Name: Ruth Bailey

Age: 46

Place of residence: Blue Ridge

Occupation: Secretary at Holy Name of Mary Catholic Church in Bedford

Nominated by: Rita Zimmermann, who also works at the church, wrote: “Ruth puts 110 percent effort into everything she does. … Ruth often prepares goodies for our staff meetings and social gatherings. I don’t know if she’s ever prepared the same dish twice for us, but I do know that everything she makes is out of this world! … We are so blessed to have her here.”

Why I love to cook: Food is love! All my best memories of good times with family and friends are in the kitchen, centered on a wonderful meal. I love to see that look on someone’s face when they take that first bite, then the smile that follows. It makes all the effort worth it.

Truly, baking is my first love. If I had to choose, I would bake rather than cook anytime. Cooking does allow for a great deal more personal expression, but I love the chemistry of baking.

To continue reading about Ruth, click here.

To see Ruth’s recipes for Cream Puffs or Poverty BBQ Sauce, click each recipe title.

Photo by Stephanie Klein-Davis l The Roanoke Times

“Look Who’s Cooking” spotlights successful home cooks in our area. Today, we meet Shirley Hudgins.

Name: Shirley Hudgins

Age: 65

Place of residence: Roanoke

Occupation: Retired nurse

Nominated by: Friend Donna Turner, who wrote: “I call Shirley Hudgins the Martha Stewart of the South. Her cookies and breads are so perfect it is like a machine makes them. At Christmas she makes over 100 cakes as gifts. Everything she makes is super healthy but doesn’t taste like it.”

Why I love to cook: It gives me a sense of pride, and I find it relaxing. I enjoy cooking for others and making dishes I know they enjoy. My four grandchildren love Nana’s cooking.

To continue reading about Shirley, click here.

Check out Shirley’s recipe for pineapple zucchini cake by clicking here.

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“Look Who’s Cooking” spotlights successful home cooks in our area. Today, we meet Bill Wheeling.

Name: Bill Wheeling

Age: 48

Home: Roanoke

Occupation: Stylist

Nominated by: Friend Marlene Reich, who wrote: “He cooks wonderful home-cooked meals for myself and all his friends pretty much every week. You have never tasted a better pot of greens, fried chicken and cornbread! We always look forward to an invitation and to see what item he decides to surprise us with.”

Why I love cooking: It brings good friends together. I’ll cook for myself, too. I probably cook three or four times a week — more in the winter. I love to take people food, too.

Click here to continue reading about Bill.

To see Bill’s recipe for baked pork tenderloin, click here.

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Name: Mike “Keno” Snyder

Age: 51

Home: Roanoke

Occupation: Head brewer for Roanoke Railhouse Brewery

Nominated by: Friend and neighbor Connie Stevens, who wrote: “He’s a fantastic cook — cooks healthy, delicious food for his family most every night. He’s even been known to spend days making the hard-core version of beef bourguignon. And the best part — he shares with his neighbors! In the summer, he makes corn cakes that will make you cry; in the fall, it’s pizza on the grill. You can smell it for a block.”

Why I love cooking: I began cooking at an early age and was most definitely influenced by my mother’s enthusiasm for growing veggies.

I have vivid memories of standing in our garden eating spring peas and nasturtiums that she would coax me into trying. Watching her in the kitchen boiling fresh ears of corn or canning tomatoes in late summer left an indelible impression.

To continue reading about Mike, click here.

Check out Mike’s recipe for corn cakes here.

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Name: Joyce Feazell

Age: 68

Home: Roanoke

Occupation: Retired flight attendant

Nominated by: Daughter Kim, who wrote, “This is a woman who always has plenty ‘extra’ for people that happen to stop in, and usually has a neighbor or two hanging around hoping for a dinner invite.

“Her meals range from simple to extraordinary. She has one of the best chicken noodle soups that has cured many a sniffle. Just a quick phone call and the bare mention of a sore throat or sniffle and her quick response is ‘I’ll make soup.’ No hesitation, just a few hours and then hot miracle soup delivered.”

Continue reading Joyce’s profile here.

Check out her recipe for cheddar apples.

Lindsey Nair l The Roanoke Times

It is time for another installment of our home cooks profile series. In case you missed it in Sunday’s paper, here is Frances Hinchee’s recipe for success (and pot roast):

Name: Frances Hinchee

Age: 85

Home: Roanoke County

Occupation: Homemaker

Why I love cooking: I love cooking because it makes my family happy.

Who taught me? I taught myself. My mother was working because my father had died, and I worked until I married my husband, George. I could not cook when I married, but my husband was a right good eater. I learned to cook because I had to.

My mother-in-law also taught me a lot.

Continue reading about Mrs. Hinchee here.

To see her recipe for perfect pot roast, click here.

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Meet our latest home cook, Marcelle Melki.

Name: Marcelle Melki

Age: 56

Home: Roanoke County

Occupation: Nurse

Nominated by and why: Our inbox was flooded with emails from Marcelle’s colleagues at the Virginia Department of Health, where she often shares her delicious creations.

Marcelle was born in Lebanon but raised in Roanoke by her great-aunt and uncle. She is a proud member of St. Elias Maronite Catholic Church, which holds an annual Lebanese Festival. Marcelle occasionally teaches Lebanese cooking classes in her home.

Continue reading about Marcelle by clicking here.

Check out Marcelle’s kibbi recipe here.

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Meet our latest home cook, Susan Hall of Bedford:

Name: Susan Hall

Age: 53

Home: Bedford

Occupation: Nurse

Nominated by: Husband, Jeff, because “she could be a caterer if she wanted. Her chicken gnocchi soup is just one of the dishes that she does so well. I want to be buried with her peanut butter pie. She also does a lot of canning, which I believe is rapidly becoming a lost art.”

Read the entire profile here.

Photo courtesy Ellen Arnold.

“Look Who’s Cooking” spotlights successful home cooks in our area. Today, we meet Ellen Arnold, who has not let dormitory kitchens deter her from whipping up delicious food for herself and her roomies.

Name: Ellen Arnold

Age: 19

Home: Christiansburg

Occupation: Student at Christopher Newport University, Newport News

Nominated by: Mother, Mary Evans Arnold, who wrote: “She has yet to buy/cook ramen noodles, preferring to start something from scratch and cook with the freshest stuff she can get. There is always something on the dorm room stove.”

Why I love cooking: Cooking is something that I’ve been increasingly interested in since I was in middle school. I started out thinking I could just make up recipes in my head and they’d turn out perfectly, but I learned you have to both practice cooking and be willing to learn from your mistakes in the kitchen. Cooking is an escape for me, and feeding people and seeing them enjoying my food is one of the most joyful experiences I can have.

Continue reading about Ellen by clicking here.

Curious about the Momofuko Milk Bar Compost Cookie Ellen mentions in her interview? You can find the recipe here. Thanks to reader Debbie for sending the link.

Photo courtesy Nancy Johnson.

“Look Who’s Cooking” aims to spotlight successful home chefs in our area. Today, we meet Helen Thomas.

Name: Helen B. Thomas

Age: 92

Home: Bedford

Occupation: Retired nurse

Nominated by: Daughter Nancy Johnson, who wrote, “she is pretty much known as the ‘cake lady’ at potlucks. She prepares baked apples and mashed potatoes that defy comparison. My personal favorite is her potato salad with boiled dressing. She is a true Southern, comfort food cook and everything is smothered in love.”

Why I love cooking: For my generation it was often the only gift that could be shared. I lived in a rural area with my parents and five brothers. Of course, as the only girl, helping Mom cook and garden naturally fell to me. We raised all of our own vegetables and meat, and canned and preserved for the winter. Of course, Daddy’s hunting and fishing helped augment the menu.

Many neighboring families in those times may have been poor according to today’s economy, but there was always food aplenty and fellowship around the table. My eldest daughter to this day insists that a kitchen/dining room must have a bench because as a child she remembered that there was always room for one more on a bench.

Today, I enjoy sharing my cakes with family, friends, the oil man, repairmen, shut-ins and visitors who just happen to drop by. It is my way of sharing my love and appreciation for the good life with which I have been blessed.

To continue reading about Helen Thomas, please click here.

Check out her recipe for Pineapple Pound Cake here.

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“Look Who’s Cooking” aims to spotlight successful home chefs in our area. Today, we meet Damon Kuehl.

Name: Damon Kuehl

Home: Mount Chestnut, Roanoke County

Age: 37

Occupation: Emergency physician

Nominated by: Friend Melany Mullens

Who taught you: I suppose everyone.

Certainly my German grandmother had a major influence on my cooking. She is a fabulous cook and taught me how to take low-quality and limited ingredients and to turn them into something delicious.

Also, I have spent a great deal of time reading. Most great chefs have put out a book or two, and each have something to give in terms of an approach to food or a different technique.

Mostly though, every time I eat a great meal, either at a restaurant or a friend’s house, I spend my time thinking about how it was created and if nothing else, take a part (or all of it) back to my kitchen.

CLICK HERE to continue reading about Damon.

Debbie Franco of Roanoke is our first featured home cook. Photo by Eric Brady l The Roanoke Times

Those of you who read the Extra section in print or online this morning probably noticed that I’m starting a new occasional series in The Roanoke Times called “Look Who’s Cooking.” The idea behind this series stemmed from some of your responses to my blog survey at the end of 2010, so thank you very much!

I plan to take nominations from readers who would like to see their favorite home cooks — whether they be family or friends — receive a little recognition for their talents behind the stove (or grill, or mixer, or whatever!). Initially, I will limit the selections to home cooks who live in The Roanoke Times coverage area in Southwest Virginia. And while I know a lot of local chefs deserve some attention, this feature will be limited to non-professionals only.

Today’s featured home cook is one of my most dedicated blog readers, Debbie Franco. Debbie has been reading Fridge Magnet since the very beginning and always seems to be cooking something delicious in her kitchen. Below, you will find Debbie’s profile. If you would like to nominate a home cook for this feature, which will run on occasional Sundays, please e-mail me at lindsey.nair@roanoke.com, call me at (540) 981-3343 or send me a note the old-fashioned way at Lindsey Nair, c/o The Roanoke Times, P.O. Box 2491, Roanoke, VA 24010. Oh, and please DO NOT leave nominations as blog comments because I don’t want any nominee’s personal information being shared here. Thanks!

Without further ado, meet Debbie:

Read more »