Valrico Resident Blogs About Southern Cooking and Her Heritage

If her accent doesn't give her away, her cooking style surely will.

Valrico resident Jackie Garvin is a Southerner through and through. 

That heritage is reflected in her homespun recipes, gracious hospitality and folksy writing style in her blog, "Syrup and Biscuits," which has gained a national audience in just four months. 

Her blog even caught the notice of national cookbook publisher, Gooseberry Patch, which featured her on its Website March 25.

"I've been a fan of Gooseberry Patch for decades," said Garvin. "The recognition by them is the biggest thing that has happened to me since writing my blog."

In addition to writing the blog, "Syrup and Biscuits," Garvin also maintains a "Syrup and Biscuits" fan page on Facebook, which has attracted nearly 400 fans.

A native of Mobile, Ala., Garvin, the oldest of three children, began cooking family meals at the age of 12.

"My parents both worked full time so, as the oldest, it became my job to prepare dinner," she said.

Inspired by her mother and grandmother's love of Southern cooking, preparing family meals wasn't a chore. It was something she relished doing. 

"Somewhere along the line I figured out that cooking was a really good thing," she said. "My maternal grandmother never cooked a bad meal and she loved to feed people. I think my grandmother's spirit lives in me."

However, instead of choosing a career in food, Garvin went on to become a registered nurse and then started her own health-care staffing agency.

When she sold the agency and retired in December 2008, she was intent on spending time doing all those things she loves to do but never had the time for while she was a business owner: gardening, cooking and entertaining. 

"I've always been a cookbook collector and love experimenting with recipes so I decided to write my own cookbook," she said. "As I was writing it, I began posting excerpts on Facebook. Before I knew it, I was writing a blog."

In addition to recipes with step-by-step photos, Garvin included folksy stories about growing up in the South.

"I was overwhelmed by the response," she said. "People started writing and thanking me for helping to remind them of what's important in life. We're living in such stressful times. If I can help people get re-centered, that's my mission. I've never felt as good about anything I've done."

That's not to say Garvin was searching for a new career.

"I was already happy," she said. Married for 35 years, she was enjoying spending time her twin grandchildren. "I just felt I was led to do this."

A fan of Gooseberry Patch cookbooks for years, Garvin decided to contact the publishing firm about doing a cookbook giveaway as a way to promote her blog and Facebook page. Gooseberry Patch asked to see a sample of her writing. As a result, the company not only featured her on its Website but asked her if she'd be interested in reviewing cookbooks.

"I felt like a bucket of blessings had been dumped on my head," said Garvin. "People have been so kind and supportive. I always loved writing and was always strong in language arts. But I never thought of myself as a writer."

Like her original Southern recipes, her stories harken back to an earlier time "when life was simple," said Garvin. "We're kind of getting away from that."

Garvin said she uses a conversational style when writing. "I write from the heart, not the brain," she said. "I want it to be friendly, like I'm talking to my neighbor. I'm sure I break a lot of grammar rules like starting sentences with 'and,' but that's the way people speak."

Her recipes are family recipes or favorite cookbook recipes she's adapted with her own flourishes.

"I definitely consider myself a Southern cook, not a chef," she said. "I don't pretend to be anything different. I think people just appreciate simple, honest food, and a lot of Southern recipes were born out of necessity. They cooked whatever happened to be growing in their garden."

Among the most popular recipes she's posted in her blog are the simplest recipes, she said. 

"I got the biggest response, believe it or not, from my recipe for pimento cheese spread," she said. "People went nuts over that recipe. They like familiar foods."

Another popular recipe proved to be a her recipe for roasted vegetables. 

"I roast any kind of vegetables in season," she said. "It's something so easy that busy people can do it on a Tuesday night."

Readers will be able to try some of Garvin's recipes themselves and enjoy her homespun stories when the Southern cook brings "Syrup and Biscuits" to Bloomingdale Patch starting this Saturday. 

In the meantime, check out Garvin's blog at http://syrupandbiscuits.wordpress.com and become a fan of her Facebook page.