Hi, I’m Ginger Ann!
I cook barefoot (don’t drop the knife!), and I emphatically believe that cornbread should only be made in a cast-iron skillet. Fun fact, I cook my cornbread exclusively in my grandmother's old cast-iron skillet.
Influenced by my Southern roots, eye for art, love for cooking and a heart for nostalgia, I set-out to create a custom cookbook that has the feel of a true cookbook, and the ability to stand the test of time.
Food was an important part of my upbringing - and not just during the special occasions, but also in the everyday. My mother almost always had a home cooked meal for dinner, and introduced us to a variety of flavors beyond those on a typical Southern table. My siblings and I were lucky to inherit my mother’s passion for food - along with a great arsenal of recipes!
While my girls may not have a home-cooked meal every night, I still believe that cooking is the ultimate expression of love, and I value the community, nourishment, education, and memory that food and flavors provide.
How It Started
Does your mom cook your favorite meals from scratch, but she doesn’t have the recipes written down? Do you find yourself calling your aunt year-after-year to ensure you really are mixing your grandmother’s Divinity long enough? I do. I have lots of family recipes, but they weren’t all in one place - some on cards, some saved in emails, some written on random sheets of paper stuffed into cookbooks. In speaking with friends I learned that, in most families, only one person is the keeper of the cherished family recipes. So how do we connect everyone to the handwriting of generations past, or the stains of a lovingly used recipe card? How do we make them easily accessible to all family members?After doing some research, I did find options for making family cookbooks, but none that offered the high-design that I desired, archival materials to stand the test of time, or a level of service that would make my grandmothers proud. So I cooked up Preserved Press.