Author Phyllis Connor is as modest and as genuine as her book. A Taste of the Past is an unassuming paperback holding 64 pages of recipes printed in her hand with pen drawings and a few words of introduction. The book grew from Connor’s interest in mountain life. She and her husband were running a mountainside craft shop in Bluefield, WV. “I really thought these recipes should be preserved,” Conner says. “You’ve heard of folk music…Well, I thought, this is like ‘folk food.’ Why not write it down so it won’t be lost?” Many of the recipes had never been written down before. Selection was easy; she tasted the food herself at church picnics and family gatherings. She also tested all the recipes. Along with Connor’s first book, Old Timey Recipes, Mountain Memories Books is honored to keep these two classic cookbooks in print for a new generation. Both books feature recipes from the Virginia’s, Carolina’s, Tennessee, and Kentucky, and are authentic old family favorites handed down for ages.
