Archives of Eat

By Jasmine Jones This story was first published as “Community Cookbook: Cooked Cheese, by Rosemary Berry from Fruitland” in the October 2023 issue of The Best Years. Rosemary Berry says it’s been an “interesting life.” She was raised in Sedgewickville, Mo., but as the wife of an Air Force pilot, she lived all over the […]

By Jasmine Jones This story was first published as “Community Cookbook: Pat’s Pastries recreates nostalgic small-town bakery experience in the August 2023 issue of The Best Years. Pat Schaaf says when you make pastries from scratch, they will never be perfect. She says you could roll the dough out precisely, measure everything and use a […]

By Jasmine Jones This story was first published in the September 2023 issue of The Best Years. Gracie Aguirre grew up in Durango, Mexico, where she says everyone knew everyone. As a child, Aguirre enjoyed “rolling all over town” on her bicycle and playing volleyball, but she spent most of her after-school hours working at […]

By Jasmine Jones This story was originally published as “Community Cookbook: Barbecue Brisket, by Taffy McMullin from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Cape Girardeau” in the May 2023 issue of The Best Years. Taffy McMullin grew up on a farm between Sikeston, Mo., and Dexter, Mo., with her mother, father and 14 […]

On many Thursdays, members of the flourish crew go to Burrito-Ville for lunch. It’s a ritual we call Burrito-Ville Thursday, and amidst the orange, yellow and red-muralled walls, we break bread — or burritos and tortilla chips — together and find a sanctuary of friendship. There each week, we’re greeted by the people who work […]

By Jasmine Jones This story was first published in the September 2022 issue of The Best Years with the title “Community Cookbook: Goulash, by Phyllis Johnson from the Golden Angels in Cape Girardeau.” Phyllis Johnson was raised by her father on a farm in Caruthersville, Mo. She remembers picking and chopping cotton, pulling corn and […]