About this item
Cassandra Harrell remembers watching her grandmother, Big Mama, fry hot-water corn bread in a well-seasoned cast-iron skillet on her electric stove. Only four years old, Harrell had to crawl onto a kitchen chair to see the yellow cornmeal batter skillfully dropped into sizzling oil. Once fried to a golden brown, the bread was served with one of Big Mama's many delicious meals like a plate of turnip greens and smoked meat or a bowl of beef stew. Growing up in a small, close-knit community in southwest Tennessee, Harrell received a culinary education from her family, learning her trade by example: she listened to her mother and grandmother and watched them in the kitchen as they cooked tomatoes, onions, and cabbage they gathered from the family's large backyard garden.
About the Author
Cassandra Harrell learned the art of cooking from her Big Mama growing up in West Tennessee. The love and passion continued throughout her childhood and today she has truly found her niche in preparing southern cuisine.
Her first experience with cooking was when she made her first southern fried chicken at age 9, baked her first peach cobbler (with homemade crust) at 13, she was so proud, and from then on she had been cooking ever since. Over the years, the more she cooked the more her passion grew for cooking.
Her latest cookbook, Unforgettable Appetizers, memorable recipes for any occasion, is a collection of theme-related recipes that she used in her catering business when she served national and local clients including celebrities, politicians, as well as recording artists, is now presented with a new flare, creativity, and amazing flavors. Over the years Harrell developed hundreds of theme-related menus for her clients and has a natural flare for turning ordinary recipes into extraordinary dishes.
Her affinity for cooking extends to over four decades and to every area of her life: She has published two cookbooks, one cooking guide with plans for many more of each, publishers a monthly recipe newsletter, coaches others with a desire to start a catering business, and runs and operates her popular website, soul-food-advisor.com.
Born and raised in West Tennessee, Harrell began tempting palates with her southern influence when she owned an award-winning southern-style restaurant and catering business in Wisconsin. Her Sunday buffet was such a tremendous success until customers literally lined up for authentic southern cooking.
Her exceptional food and well-loved menus landed her a food contract at the Midwest Convention Center where she served thousands at sporting events, conventions, trade shows, music concerts, and ground-breaking ceremonies. She was a food vendor at the world's largest music festival, Summerfest serving national as well as local clients. She also taught cooking classes and lead cooking demonstrations at festivals and fairs on preparing great southern cuisine.
Cassandra characterizes herself as having a unique voice with a witty personality, easy going, super friendly, enjoy life, and love meeting people. She is also married to Earl with one son and two granddaughters.
