Interview by Jana Hoops. Special to the Clarion-Ledger Sunday print edition (October 14)
Creating the first revamp of a classic American cookbook in nearly 50 years would be a challenge for the best of culinary experts, but it’s probably no surprise that Oxford’s Elizabeth Heiskell was able to pull of a fresh new rendition of The Southern Living Party Cookbook with impeccable taste.
The TV personality, caterer, cooking teacher, and author beautifully presents her 2018 version of the 1972 classic with a book that not only satisfies would-be hosts and hostesses who are new to party-giving, but provides more seasoned home entertainers with a handful of new tricks, as well.
The original version become the bestselling Southern Living cookbook of all time, a proud status Heiskell hopes to continue.
While this “modern day reinterpretation” of the classic book has retained many favorite recipes from the original, it is filled with popular choices from recent editions of Southern Living magazine, and many of Heiskell’s own favorites. Menus include appetizers, main dishes, drinks, and desserts for a Bridal Tea, Garden Club Luncheon, Summer Nights, Cocktails and Canapés, Tailgate, Picnic on the Lawn, Fall Dinner, and 24 more occasions.
The party guide essentially provides templates for a multitude of party ideas–with more than just recipes. Heiskell also includes time-saving tips along with thoughtful touches to put any host or hostess at ease.
As may be expected from any Southern Living publication, the photography and design of the book offer stunning visual encouragement for readers looking for creative ideas.
Elizabeth Heiskell
Born and raised in the Mississippi Delta town of Rosedale, Heiskell’s career in food-related pursuits springs from a generations-long affinity for cooking and entertaining. She completed courses at the Culinary Institute of America in New York, and later served as lead instructor for the Viking Cooking School in Greenwood for nearly a decade. Heiskell and her family moved to Oxford in 2011, where she and her husband run Woodson Ridge Farms, providing fresh produce for member families and restaurants. She has also operated her own busy catering business for 20 years.
Along the way, Heiskell has become a food contributor for NBC’s Today Show and has appeared on Food Network’s The Kitchen, Hallmark Channel’s Home & Family, as well as Pickler & Ben, Fox & Friends, and Chopped.
Her previous cookbooks include What Can I Bring? Southern Food for Any Occasion Life Serves Up and Somebody Stole the Cornbread from My Dressing, which she co-authored with Susanne Young Reed.
The original Southern Living Party Cookbook, published in 1972, was the brand’s all-time bestselling cookbook. Did taking on the job of updating this “classic” among cookbooks place a big responsibility on your shoulders for a new generation?
I cannot even tell you! I had ladies sending me stories about how much the original cookbook had meant to them, asking me to preserve recipes they have used for decades.
Yes, I felt the pressure, but I had the advantage of being a caterer for 20 years, and cooking and giving parties in my own home. I wanted to celebrate the “mandatory” gatherings like Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve, plus fun occasions like the “Joy to the Girls” party. I hope my ideas will inspire others to not be afraid to plan and enjoy entertaining their friends.
Ultimately, we held onto about a third of the original recipes because we felt like they were too fantastic to let go. There are several in each category in the book.
The book includes 31 party-themed menus for all occasions, including teas, receptions, brunches and luncheons, tailgating, cocktails hours, cookouts and celebration dinners for holidays and family celebrations. How did you choose these categories, and what elements were important to you to include in each of these types of meals?
I really wanted to make sure that I included parties that most everyone would feel like they were up to the challenge for and could do. For instance, the “Cookouts” category is great for young couples who may not have given many parties and/or may not be confident cooks. “The Tailgate” is one for pretty much everyone. At a more elevated level is the “Impress the Boss” dinner.
With every category, I wanted to emphasize that there are things you can make ahead, things you can substitute, and ways to have everything under control ahead of time so that the host or hostess can enjoy the party, too.
You also add some party planning tips in each chapter, for everything from etiquette and invitations to hostess gifts, tables settings, and thank you notes. Why was it important to you to include these extra hints?
The bottom line is that anyone coming to your home is excited to be invited and thought of. You don’t need to work yourself into a frenzy–these are your friends and they will be happy if you just put out some wine and maybe one dip. The whole point is to have friends over.
The book itself is beautiful, inside and out. Please tell me about the stunning photography and how you planned the design of the book.
Southern Living put this book together. All the photography was done in-house in (their corporate offices) in Birmingham. We worked very closely together to make sure each photo was representative of what the finished recipes should look like.
How did you get your “big break” to become a regular on NBC’s “Today Show”
(Years ago) I would see Martha Stewart on the Today Show, and I decided my grandmother’s Pillowcase Thanksgiving Turkey needed to be on the show right then. I thought about it and prayed about it. When I was working for Viking, I just knew I would someday get the chance.
When (NBC News Chairman) Andy Lack (founder of Mississippi Today digital news service and who has family ties to Mississippi) came to Oxford for a dinner party at Rowan Oak in Oxford (in 2015), he told me at the end of the dinner, “You need to understand that you are wildly talented.”
I told him I had been waiting to be on the Today Show for 17 years. . . . I wound up making my grandmother’s Pillowcase Turkey on the show before Thanksgiving. Today I am a Today Show contributor, an employee of NBC.
What plans do you have in mind for your future at this time?
My time at this point is a big balancing act with my catering company in Oxford, being a contributor for the Today Show, and my family!
Elizabeth Heiskell will be at Lemuria on Thursday, October 25, at 5:00 to sign and discuss the Southern Living Party Cookbook.
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