About Carole Marsh
My Story
I grew up in Atlanta with a mother who could only really cook banana pudding, rice pudding, pineapple pudding…and fudge.
But my grandmother, “Mama Byrd,” was a queen of traditional Southern cooking. You know: turnip greens with “pot likker”—all awash and a’juice with country ham, bone-in. (I used to suck it, save it, and wear as a ring on my pinkie finger.) Her multi-layer chocolate cake could make me weep. Her ultra-buttery/eggy macaroni and cheese is probably why I got high cholesterol? Cornbread from heaven. Country-fried steak and buttermilk fried chicken. And more, so much more.
My mother never let my sister, Suzanne, and I cook; she didn’t want us to mess up the kitchen. So when I grew up, married, and finally had a crack at a pot and a pan—well, I pretty much burned everything, including the pot, the pan, and even my cookbook that I left on a hot burner. Instead of a great cook, I became more of a curator of food and cooking history, historical recipes and fun facts, and cooking and eating and sharing.
Parents & Teachers
For more than 30 years, I’ve been writing food history, food facts, recipes, and more into all of my Carole Marsh Books (see them at www.gallopade.com).
I believe children learn best when all their senses are involved, and what more precious sense than our sense of taste?! Food is history…is geography...is science and math…is legend and lore and so much more.
I really LOVE researching food lore. And I love food fun. I never said that I was the world’s greatest cook! But I really enjoy creating recipes like Dinosaur Bone cookies…or Geography Jello! I also love to combine stories and poetry into my cookbooks, even riddles and other surprises to spice up reading for kids.
I hope you’ll explore my book selections and use them in your home or classroom. Soon, I hope to add a searchable index to this site so you can find recipes especially for children…buried in the midst of a book you might not expect.
Foodlore, folklore, hands-on activities in cooking—it’s all a great way for kids to learn and adults to actually enjoy being teachers!
"That’s all this website is about—sharing fun facts, great recipes, and the legend, lore, charm, whimsy, and wonderful taste, trivia, and tradition of food food food!"
