In the kitchen with Ida: Cookbook author puts Viola on map
|
The adventure began when the phone rang in the Standard office last Friday after the issue with the error came out.
Upon being informed I had a call, I picked up the phone, punched the button and was immediately greeted with a spry-sounding voice with the rich, cultured accents of the proverbial Southern lady.
“Hello,” she said. “Did you write that story on Bookland in the paper?”
“Um, yes,” I said, not quite sure what was coming.
“Well, this is Ida Ramsey and I’m calling to tell you that you made a big boo-boo in that story. I’m not from Smithville, I’m from Viola.”
Oops. I hate it when that happens. In truth, I’m not sure how I came up with the bad information, but there it was. All I could do was ask forgiveness and promise a correction. But as it turned out, that wasn’t the only problem. It seems Ida wasn’t too happy about another statement I had made in the story, the one where I said she was elderly and didn’t get out much anymore.
“It’s true, I am elderly,” she said in a strong, clear voice that belies her age, “But I’m not on the shelf yet.”
By this time, sitting there red-faced and properly chastised, and apologizing profusely I might add, suddenly I began to hear a bit of amusement in her voice, and fortunately, a bit of sympathy as well.
And all of a sudden, I decided I had to meet this lady. I had been fascinated when I learned during my Bookland interview that she had published three cookbooks, one of which, “Ida’s in the Kitchen,” is actually the best selling cookbook the local bookseller carries, and is also carried by both Barnes and Noble and Books-A-Million.
Add to that the fact she has raised three children, including a lawyer, a former flight attendant with Delta Airlines and a professor with a PhD in linguistics, and I began to see how this is obviously a lady worth knowing. And the fact she is renowned for her Southern cuisine didn’t hurt any either since, as anyone who has seen me in person should know, I am quite fond of good food.
Luckily, after some pretty fast talking, including a plea that I really wanted to apologize in person, she agreed to let me come out and do a story. This led to my encountering one of the most enchanting ladies I have ever had the pleasure to meet.
It also led to my leaving the interview with some melt-in-your-mouth homemade dinner rolls and a jar of wonderful cranberry relish that must be tasted to be appreciated.
After introductions, Ida, who has been featured in the Standard several times, tried to convince me people were probably tired of hearing about her.
“I’m old stuff,” she said, but when I noticed a grouping of photos above her couch and asked if they were her children, her eyes lit up.
“Betty used to fly with Delta,” she said, indicating a photo of a lovely dark-haired girl. “And that’s Bill, he’s a lawyer in Nashville. And that’s Bobby, the oldest one, who is a linguistics professor at the University of Maryland. He speaks Chinese, Japanese, Korean, fluently, and German.”
Ida is pleased her cookbooks have been so successful, but they obviously come second to her family.
“The most important thing I’ve done is raise three children,” she said at one point.
Still, collecting the recipes that have filled her cookbooks is something she says she has really enjoyed over the years.
“I never really stop collecting,” she said, adding that many people may have family recipes that eventually fall by the wayside because they aren’t recorded. “People don’t document them,” she said, “and that’s too bad.”
During what turned out to be a very pleasant and informative conversation, Ida, who is originally from Mississippi, made it clear how much she loves Viola, the small southern town she now calls home.
“It’s a wonderful place to raise children,” she said. “They were always so happy here.”
She also explained she had nothing against the town I mistakenly reported as being her hometown, something she graciously forgave me for before I left.
“Smithville is just fine,” she said, eyes twinkling, “but I’m from Viola.”