The Gift of Cooking and Baking

Earlier this month David and I took our ten year old grandson to Billings to go to the Class C Basketball Tournament. We did see a little basketball, but mostly it was a great opportunity to hang out with John David. We did a little hiking along the Yellowstone River, had a nice long bike ride, did a little shopping (not his favorite), but the best part was hanging out with David’s sister and her family. 

I thought I knew almost everything there was to know about David. 45 years of marriage leaves little room for surprises. Or so I thought.  I was wrong.  I gained a much greater understanding of what makes David tick by the conversation he and his sister, Joyce, had concerning cooking. They talked for an hour about different menus, cooking procedures, past meals they had created and what they hoped to cook next.  Listening to them, I gained a greater understanding of why Marci, our kitchen manager, cook, and baker, is so absolutely amazing at what she does in The Coffee Pot kitchen.

What Marci, Joyce and David share is truly a love for cooking.  They love to think about what they hope to make the next day, and the next week. They like to dream up new, complicated things to cook. And they really don’t want to have anyone help them. I could never figure out why David would get grumpy if I, out of guilt, offered to chop up his vegetables for him when he was cooking something. He and Joyce explained they have their own way of how they want to do things, and it’s not about expediting the process, but enjoying it. 

I cooked for years, because our family insisted on eating, and David was trying to get our business off the ground and didn’t have time to cook.  I was a fine cook.  Certainly not great, but no one starved.  When our kids left home and our business was more stable, David began cooking and currently makes 90% of our meals. To him, it is relaxing and one of his few hobbies.  Once I asked him what he would like to do for a living if money, age and time were not issues.  He said that he’d like to cook for a living. Well money, time and age are issues, so that’ll probably not happen. But those of us who get to eat the meals that he, Joyce and Marci create can truly be glad for their love of cooking, and the gift they’ve been given to cook well.

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