Post by melody on Jan 17, 2008 8:43:58 GMT -5
Dad's soup recipe is winner: Local woman lands spot in Wal-Mart's annual cookbook
By LINDA MARTZ
News Journal
MANSFIELD -- When Phyllis Conn, of Butler, learned she'd have a recipe published in the "Wal-Mart Family Cookbook," she was both ecstatic and uncomfortable.
She called her dad, Eugene Patton, in Florida, to let him know the recipe he shared with her for the potato soup he'd made for decades would be seen by people all over the country.
A panel of judges for the retail store tried the recipe -- one of thousands sent in by Wal-Mart employees all over the United States -- and chose to feature it on a full page of the cookbook.
But her mom's peanut butter fudge recipe didn't make it into publication.
It is the seventh year for the cookbook. The 2008 version is on sale for $4.95. It is featured near the produce section of the Ontario store where Conn works.
She estimated the book contains about 75 recipes.
Conn, 48, said she had known about the annual contest for employees, found entry forms, and decided to enter her parents' best recipes.
They winter in Florida, then return to north central Ohio the rest of the year.
"I called him in Florida and said 'Hey dad, what's in that soup?' He was glad to help," she said.
Conn said her father, who celebrated his 77th birthday Saturday, is a "man's man." He enjoys cooking, but prefers to make the type of recipes that aren't fussy.
"I remember my dad making soups when I was little," she said.
"Mom said he would dabble in the kitchen when we were smaller. But he did a lot more after he retired," spending more time cooking, from start to finish, including clean-up.
Conn has very fond memories of her mother's homestyle country cooking as well -- foods "like cornbread -- meals that weren't expensive, but went a long way for a family of six."
"I guess when you're a kid, you remember the things you ate -- and you crave them later," she said.
When Wal-Mart notified Conn her father's recipe would be published, she called family members.
She made plans to wrap a package containing the blue ribbon Wal-Mart sent her for the winning recipe, along with her winner's notification letters.
"I've been with Wal-Mart for 17 years," Conn said. "I love working there. I've been in every position in the store. I change positions every couple of years, so I don't get bored," she said.
Currently she checks bread and chips and other items into the store on a schedule that starts much earlier than most people might like to wake up. The Butler woman transferred to the southside Mansfield store when it opened -- but returned after a while to the Ontario store, where she was closer to the employees.
She has made both her dad's potato soup and her mom's peanut butter fudge for Wal-Mart functions, which sometimes include bake sales to make money for a charity.
"Everybody fights over it when we have sales," she said of the fudge.
The Ontario Wal-Mart's personnel director said employees also loved the potato soup recipe, which Conn cooked and brought to the Ontario store for coworkers to try.
"I made a big roaster and brought it to work. It was gone by lunchtime," Conn said.
mansfieldnewsjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080116/LIFESTYLE/801160304
By LINDA MARTZ
News Journal
MANSFIELD -- When Phyllis Conn, of Butler, learned she'd have a recipe published in the "Wal-Mart Family Cookbook," she was both ecstatic and uncomfortable.
She called her dad, Eugene Patton, in Florida, to let him know the recipe he shared with her for the potato soup he'd made for decades would be seen by people all over the country.
A panel of judges for the retail store tried the recipe -- one of thousands sent in by Wal-Mart employees all over the United States -- and chose to feature it on a full page of the cookbook.
But her mom's peanut butter fudge recipe didn't make it into publication.
It is the seventh year for the cookbook. The 2008 version is on sale for $4.95. It is featured near the produce section of the Ontario store where Conn works.
She estimated the book contains about 75 recipes.
Conn, 48, said she had known about the annual contest for employees, found entry forms, and decided to enter her parents' best recipes.
They winter in Florida, then return to north central Ohio the rest of the year.
"I called him in Florida and said 'Hey dad, what's in that soup?' He was glad to help," she said.
Conn said her father, who celebrated his 77th birthday Saturday, is a "man's man." He enjoys cooking, but prefers to make the type of recipes that aren't fussy.
"I remember my dad making soups when I was little," she said.
"Mom said he would dabble in the kitchen when we were smaller. But he did a lot more after he retired," spending more time cooking, from start to finish, including clean-up.
Conn has very fond memories of her mother's homestyle country cooking as well -- foods "like cornbread -- meals that weren't expensive, but went a long way for a family of six."
"I guess when you're a kid, you remember the things you ate -- and you crave them later," she said.
When Wal-Mart notified Conn her father's recipe would be published, she called family members.
She made plans to wrap a package containing the blue ribbon Wal-Mart sent her for the winning recipe, along with her winner's notification letters.
"I've been with Wal-Mart for 17 years," Conn said. "I love working there. I've been in every position in the store. I change positions every couple of years, so I don't get bored," she said.
Currently she checks bread and chips and other items into the store on a schedule that starts much earlier than most people might like to wake up. The Butler woman transferred to the southside Mansfield store when it opened -- but returned after a while to the Ontario store, where she was closer to the employees.
She has made both her dad's potato soup and her mom's peanut butter fudge for Wal-Mart functions, which sometimes include bake sales to make money for a charity.
"Everybody fights over it when we have sales," she said of the fudge.
The Ontario Wal-Mart's personnel director said employees also loved the potato soup recipe, which Conn cooked and brought to the Ontario store for coworkers to try.
"I made a big roaster and brought it to work. It was gone by lunchtime," Conn said.
mansfieldnewsjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080116/LIFESTYLE/801160304