Q & A
Country star Yearwood creates stir in the kitchen
Georgia native to whip up food at Taste of Atlanta
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Friday, October 10, 2008
Georgia native Trisha Yearwood normally comes to Atlanta to grab a mike and sing. But this Saturday, she’ll be grabbing a whisk and stirring chicken broth before foodies at Taste of Atlanta in Atlantic Station.
She’s putting on an apron because of the success of her book “Georgia Cooking in an Oklahoma Kitchen,” which she co-authored with her mom and sister. It came out in the spring and instantly hit the New York Times best-seller list.
JIM COOPER/Associated Press
Country singer Trisha Yearwood will be at Taste of Atlanta this weekend.
$25-$95. 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Oct. 11-12. 171 17th St. N.W., Atlantic Station. 404-875-4434, www.tasteofatlanta.com.
Earlier this week, we spoke to her about her turkey secrets, her hubby Garth Brooks’ cooking skills and the pressures of a live cooking demonstration.
Q: So are you getting used to do doing cooking demonstrations?
A: A little bit. We’ve done a few shows like “Good Morning America” and “Live With Regis and Kelly.” But you only have two minutes on TV. They have these food stylists who set everything up. Saturday will be a little different.
Q: Is it similar to doing a concert?
A: In some ways. If you miss a note or forget a line or drop a dumpling on the floor, you just have to laugh about it. A lot of people get intimidated about cooking. If you make a mistake, it shows the audience that it doesn’t always turn out perfectly. Even for good cooks, the joy is to try again.
Q: Why do you think the cookbook has been such a success?
A: It’s very basic. You don’t have to be a great cook to make a meatloaf. It’s not that hard to make good food. I love cookbooks, but I don’t cook out of most of them. They just look too hard. We try to make it as easy as possible.
Q: Is a second cookbook coming?
A: We’re thinking about it. This one is so personal because it’s a lifetime of family recipes. Right now, I’m still focused on trying to get people to know about this book.
Q: With Thanksgiving coming up, we’re wondering how you came up with such an easy way to make a moist turkey without having to baste it constantly?
A: I credit my mom. We used to go to her house for Thanksgiving. She always did it perfectly. So when I started doing it six, seven years ago the same way, Garth didn’t believe it was possible. I was cooking for his family. He had me do a test turkey!
Q: In the forward of the book, you say Garth sometimes calls you Miss Yearwood. Are you required to call him Mr. Brooks?
A: No. But I do call him Mr. Yearwood. He answers to that!
Q: Why does he do it?
A: I don’t know why. For 20 years, he’s done that. I think it’s because he’s a Midwestern gentleman. He’s the guy who will stand up when a woman comes in the door.
Q: What can Garth cook well? I see you included his pasta salad in the book.
A: He makes a lot of good things. And he’s helped me become a better cook. I used to rigidly follow recipes. He’s the one who will experiment, take an old recipe and change it up. And that was the case with the pasta salad. He also puts together a great breakfast bowl combining stuff I’d never put together.
