Authors Revive Cooking with Love at Home, Social Aspects of Eating Well

As schedules have become busier, drive thru meals and food delivery drivers leaving food at doorsteps have gained in popularity. However, author Eartha Dunston reminds us that food is more than a necessity.

“It brings families and different cultures together. We sit around the table on Sundays, or we invite our friends and families over,” Dunston said, mentioning food offers an escape from busy lives. “I think food is calming.”

The award-winning author and career public servant is a quintessential Southern cook. During her first 10 years of life, she recalls living off the land in a rural area where her family grew their food. Dunston’s maternal grandparents were professional cooks in Mobile, Alabama.

“All of that made me who I am today,” Dunston said.

“Necessary Goodness: Delicious Cuisine for Gathering and Entertaining,” a book featuring recipes by co-authors master chef Charlie S. Redden, Eartha S. Dunston, Bob J. Nash and Janis F. Kearney, fills recipe and entertaining gaps for people who want to learn to become better cooks or at-home entertainers. 

Dunston shared that the book materialized when the world paused.

“’The title ‘Necessary Goodness’ came about because we were all in the house because of COVID. Everyone was cooking more than ever and posting more than ever [online]. I always cook, so a lot of friends were coming to me and were coming to my other friend because we tag each other in our Sunday dinners. They would say ‘Hey, what are you guys cooking today?’ or ‘Teach us how to cook this,’ or ‘What should I do with this ingredient that I have? We’re stuck in the house,’ Dunston said.

Since Dunston and her friend did not have time to respond to everyone individually, the cookbook was born. Various individuals were added to the project.

Redden, Jr., aka “Master Chef Charlie,” the first certified executive chef in the history of the White House Presidential Food Service, is among the coauthors. The retired Navy culinary specialist cooks for a lot of high-profile clientele, according to Dunston. 

Kearney, a former White House presidential diarist, public speaker, writing instructor and author who is a native Arkansan, also loves cooking. She is married to Nash. He hails from Arkansas and is known for his Southern cooking. 

“My mother taught me to cook,” Kearney said. “I was around 9 years old when I learned to cook and began cooking some family meals.”

She added, “The recipes I contributed are dishes that I love, and ones that I personally enjoy cooking, such as Southern fried mackerel croquettes, ambrosia salad, seven-layer salad, ‘yellow, not white’ potato salad and pumpkin bread pudding with lemon icing. The bread pudding and mackerel croquettes are in memory of my mother who cooked Southern meals “from scratch” and to perfection.”

Kearney said that the benefits of learning to cook at home are that you learn from someone who cares whether you get it right or not and who does not mind being brutally honest with you. They do it with love. 

“Later in life, it is the memories of how, when and where you first cooked a meal that creates that deep emotional connection to cooking,” Kearney said, adding a tip for busy people who want to make more home cooked meals. “I’m not sure everyone even has the time to do this, but my mother and many women in the South cooked on Saturdays. So, I find that it helps if I carve out some time during my weekend – either Saturday or Sunday – to prepare meals for the week. This gives me more time to do it with planning and care.”

In an article, The National Library of Medicine reported that “A recent review also implicates a lack of cooking skills and food preparation knowledge as barriers to preparing home-cooked meals. The percentage of total household food dollars spent on food eaten away from home is now higher compared to 30 years ago (33% in 1970 to 47% in 2010).”

Article findings also revealed that “Consumption of fast food and food from away-from-home locations is associated with lower diet quality and obesity among adults.”

Inflation has recently prompted some people to make more budget conscious food decisions. Traces of the pandemic left many people yearning for human interaction, after gathering restrictions were lifted. Americans are still pulling out pots and pans.

Dunston said that “Necessary Goodness,” which climbed to the Amazon’s bestseller list, was published in February 2023. The recipes would be appropriate for the holiday period or anytime.

“We sit down. The word stops, We literally eat and laugh,” Dunston said, referring to mealtime traditions around the holidays.

Visit https://www.amazon.com/Necessary-Goodness-Delicious-Gathering-Entertaining/dp/B0BTV7VBS2 to find the book on Amazon.