Marilyn Peight
I was born in a tiny Amish home without electricity. In fact I never lived in a home with electricity until I was 14, so all of our cooking was done with propane ovens.
My love for cooking came from my Mom who in turn learned from her Mom. I started helping in the kitchen when I was 5-6 and helped with Mom’s catering business when I was 8. In the Amish there is no such thing as too young to work so it was normal for us to help with chores like peeling potatoes, making stuffing and washing dishes after school.
When I was 11 my parents left the Amish community and started associating with Mennonite and Charity circles. My Mom kept her catering business for a few more years and held on to some aspects of her upbringing, especially the clean home and delicious food.
At 17 I had an opportunity to serve in the Middle East doing refugee relief work in the aftermath of ISIS. While living in less than ideal conditions we learned to create good food out of any of the basic and unique ingredients to be found in a war torn area.
Through traveling the next few years up until COVID 19 hit, I discovered a love for international cuisine beyond the basic potato and casserole type meals of my ex-Amish culture. Thankfully my husband also has a love for food and travel and can appreciate variety!