- Heiskell’s high-energy gift of gab, quick wit, Mississippi Delta drawl, and extraordinary storytelling skills have endeared her to fans nationwide.
Elizabeth Heiskell, NBC Today Show Food Contributor, former lead instructor at the Viking Range Corporation Cooking School, Southern Living contributing editor, entrepreneur, and owner of Elizabeth Heiskell Catering in Oxford, has endeared herself to fans nationwide.
With her high-energy gift of gab, quick wit, Mississippi Delta drawl, and extraordinary storytelling skills, she delivers a hefty dose of laughter alongside her live cooking demonstrations that air coast to coast. Elizabeth’s enthusiasm is contagious. Even if the kitchen is not your happy place, you will be eager to grab a bar stool and follow along.
The truth is, she never sat down and made a strategic plan for a career. She was a Delta debutante, a planter’s daughter from Rosedale, who had been cooking alongside her great-grandmother, grandmother, mother, and even her father her entire life. She said, “If you live in the Delta and don’t cook, you will be very bored. If you didn’t have people over to your home, you weren’t invited to their home.” Who wants to be bored?
She watched her significant role models invite their friends — whether for a drink or a full dinner for dozens — and she gleaned the lesson that the more you make time for impromptu occasions, the more comfortable you are doing them. The more your guests are comfortable, too.
Fresh flowers? Grab a few from the yard and put them in a pretty vase. Do not make things fussy, but get comfortable using the fine china and silver often enough that it’s second nature. One of her favorite stories was stopping by her grandmother’s home one day to find an intimate table setting. When Elizabeth asked, “Who’s coming for lunch?” Grandmother replied, “No one is coming to my table who is more important than me.”
Lesson learned. Meals are a joyful celebration every time.
When her farmer husband, Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar II (Luke), moved his young family from Rosedale to Greenwood, Elizabeth considered herself a homemaker who began to cook for other people who did not want to cook. She had a nice little business while staying home with her babies.
No one is more surprised than she is over her success or accidental career. In a recent podcast on “The Source,” a network for women in business, Elizabeth told her serendipitous story entitled “The Years It Took to Become an Overnight Success.” Aptly named, she shared that a one-time invitation to fill in teaching a cooking class at Greenwood’s Viking Cooking School changed her life.
Elizabeth describes a “loosely structured” event. Her goal is to teach her participants a little something while making sure everyone has a good time. Carol Puckett Daily, president of Viking’s Hospitality Group at the time, observed Elizabeth in action and immediately asked her to become a regular instructor.
Though flattered, Elizabeth told her, “I have no formal training. You’ve got the wrong girl.”
Carol, a savvy businesswoman, was not to be deterred. She said, “Elizabeth, I can send you to school to teach you any skill you need in the kitchen, but I can’t teach you to make people laugh and have fun. You’ve got that part. I want you to do this.”
You could say, “The rest is history,” except there is much more. Elizabeth’s pipe dream was to appear on The Today Show. As doors began to open through her association with the Viking School, she found herself shoulder to shoulder on stage with some of the most renowned chefs in the world. As they instructed and demonstrated, she realized often, “I know that already.” Her confidence grew, but thankfully, her ego did not! She has remained that same Delta girl on the inside while becoming a culinary icon on the outside.
Her pipe dream became to appear on The Today Show. Specifically, she wanted to demonstrate her grandmother’s Pillowcase (no kidding) Turkey recipe for Thanksgiving on live TV. After she successfully executed a huge event on behalf of Ole Miss at William Faulkner’s home, one of the attendees, Andy Lack, head of NBC, introduced himself and complimented her profusely. The following week, she received a call from a producer at NBC to do a segment on The Today Show.
In no time at all, Elizabeth was able to introduce her grandmother’s Pillowcase Turkey to thousands of grateful families, who were charged with creating the perfect family Thanksgiving turkey!
Maybe you should buy all four of Elizabeth’s best-selling cookbooks just to read the stories she tells. As one who considers herself a failure in the kitchen, Elizabeth’s heartfelt family recollections, practical instructions, and cheery encouragement make me want to try again. Maybe, just maybe, I can find success at last!
Elizabeth is also a breast cancer survivor who tells her story, along with some valuable life lessons of faith and determination on The Today Show website. If there is one enduring lesson she shares, it is to be present in every moment of life. Live it to the fullest, and realize that life is glorious, even in the mundane. Treat it that way!
You can find Elizabeth’s books at Lemuria, Square Books, and Amazon. Her stories are as unique as her recipes.
