The Appalachian Boy

Hi, 

I’m Jimmy. I was born in the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia, in Shenandoah County. I am the youngest of four boys. 

I don’t even remember when I began writing or when I began cooking. I know when both really became a part of who I am, and that was about the age of 15.

I began working after school and had to be at work by 5pm. I would get home from school, which was then by school bus, about 3:30pm, and my dad would get home about 4:30pm. But, mom did not get home until after I had to be at work. So, I began to cook supper each night, go to work and mom would clean up. She really didn’t enjoy cooking that much, but she did like to clean, so it worked out for both of us.

When I was a sophomore I applied to be on the yearbook staff. I submitted a story I had written for English class. That paper was called “Goodbye Tina”, about a dad who kept an eye on his daughter from afar, without her knowing it. That got me a spot and it was not until years later that I realized I had the only section in the yearbook with writing beyond captions of pictures. I wrote the news for that year. I kind of thought of it as a reporter assignment and didn’t really appreciate it as much as I should have. But, then and there I become a published writer. It only took me 25 years to get back to it and start The Appalachian Tale.

I hope you like what you read. I love the combination of cooking and creating new recipes, and sharing them with others. Not everything comes out as planned. I will share the good and the bad. I just hope there’s less of the latter.

You can also follow me on social on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Youtube. I post mostly on Instagram and IGTV. I would appreciate it so much if you liked, commented, and shared anything and everything. Let me know what you like and don’t like. Let me know if you’ve tried a recipe and how it came out. I am not a trained chef, but a passionate foodie who uses food to connect to my past.