THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, December 20, 1995 TAG: 9512190094
SECTION: ISLE OF WIGHT CITIZEN PAGE: 08 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY LINDA McNATT, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: WINDSOR LENGTH: Medium: 71 lines
It's a limited-edition walk down memory lane.
That's what Dot Gwaltney, who chaired a committee that brought together the Woman's Club of Windsor's first cookbook, calls it. A limited edition because the club already has sold nearly 500 of the 750 copies ordered; a walk down memory lane because the club made an effort to include recipes from every woman who has ever been a member.
``You never went to a covered-dish dinner anywhere in Windsor that Violet Griffin's chocolate pie wasn't there - or Mrs. (Bettie) Gwaltney's pecan pie,'' Dot Gwaltney says. ``They just knew what was expected, and the pies always showed up.''
Those two club members are dead now, but their recipes live on, as do those of Gladys Edwards, another member who passed away about a year ago. If club members didn't have recipes from the ladies they wanted to include, they went to family members to get them.
``We thought it was nice to remember those who went ahead of us,'' Gwaltney says. ``Most of these recipes I know. We've all kitchen-tested them. And those of us who submitted recipes - well, I think we all tried to give our very best.''
The best recipes of Windsor are wrapped up in ``Taste of the Town,'' a hardcover, colorful book with more than 450 recipes for everything from appetizers and beverages to ``this and that,'' which includes tips for cooking country hams and seafood - even a recipe for a ``Happy Christian Home.''
The cookbook is the club's major fundraising project this year, which they decided to do instead of a homes tour, Gwaltney says.
``We'd never done a cookbook, not in all these years. Club participation on the homes tour, we felt, was getting a little less than enthusiastic. And we've been kind of thinking about a cookbook for a number of years.''
The cookbook also includes a history of the Woman's Club of Windsor, which now has about 40 active members. It's a large club for a small town, Gwaltney says, with a long history.
The club was formed in May 1930 with only four members. At first, meetings were held twice monthly, and dues were $1.50 a year. Today, the club meets monthly and membership is $15.
Through its history, the club has supported community projects, having helped to establish the first lunchroom at Windsor High School, helped with establishing the Windsor Volunteer Fire Department, regular trash collection, a community house, a town park, police protection and, more recently, the town library.
Two charter members are still living: Mrs. Mary Herbert Laine and Mrs. Violet Johnson Cornett. The cookbook is dedicated to Mrs. Laine, a club member for 65 years.
``Mary Herbert is an inspiring example of faith and fortitude to us all,'' the dedication reads. ``A beautiful Southern lady, she is truly a `woman of God.' ''
The cookbook sells for $10 and is available in Windsor at Hardy's Florist, Tidewater Feed and Seed and the Farmer's Bank of Windsor; in Suffolk at Suffolk Insurance Agency; and in Smithfield at The Virginian-Pilot office on South Church Street.
``It's a good cookbook, well worth $10,'' Gwaltney says. ``It's good, old-fashioned, country cooking.''
The club hopes to realize a $4,000 profit on the project. The money will be used to continue to support community projects like the library, Girl Scouts, the Fire Department and rescue squad. ILLUSTRATION: Photo by LINDA McNATT
Dot Gwaltney says the recipes in ``Taste of the Town'' are the best
recipes of Windsor, and all are kitchen-tested.
by CNB