Jimmy Proffitt’s debut cookbook is brimful of 75 Appalachian staples and celebrates a homegrown heritage of passionate cooking that began in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley. “Seasoned in Appalachia” spills the sweet tea on recipes Proffitt grew up loving and learning to make in a houseful of “Granny cooks” and a father who was also a volunteer fireman and took barbecuing chicken for firehall and church crowds seriously, including the vinegar-based “mopping sauce” for Shenandoah Valley Barbecue Chicken.
It's with this Southern spirit of every recipe worth your time has a story that Proffitt dug deep to create “Seasoned in Appalachia.” A self-described “boy from Appalachia,” Proffitt shares his breadth of knowledge and respect for Appalachian foodways, folktales, storytelling, traditions and poems in his cookbook. Proffitt has crafted a warm and inviting cookbook filled with family photos from his growing up, along with stunning photography featuring his own expert food styling that incorporates vintage tools he uses in his kitchen and dinner plates, tableware and napkins from collections that, of course, all have a story. The effect is like walking through a vintage country kitchen, complete with a black-and-white family photo scrapbook and endearing anecdotes from a storytelling chef who can’t remember when he wasn’t writing and cooking, enriching the recipe narratives. Whether you’re already familiar with these recipes or curious about Appalachian food traditions, this book serves both interests well.
Proffitt soaked up Appalachian culinary traditions by watching, listening and mastering kitchen skills by simply helping and doing. In a busy household, with a working mother’s schedule, it fell on Proffitt to cook supper. As it turned out, he was really good at it. So many people regret not listening to their elders and learning from them. Not Proffitt. Faithfully cooking and taking notes as a kid, he was right there in the kitchen, peeling apples and potatoes, learning, trying and keeping notes on a treasure chest of culinary history.
Recipes are very approachable in this authoritative collection. Proffitt is a natural-born coach and guide, and his encouraging, infectious enthusiasm makes readers feel that they, too, can create these time-honored Appalachian dishes. Along with the stories that add context to many of the recipe origins, he also shares tips for success born and bred from years of experience and his easy command of an Appalachian cook’s kitchen. This cookbook is a perfect gift idea, if you ask me.
A published freelance writer for Southern lifestyle publications like Okra Magazine and Southern Cast Iron Magazine, Proffitt offers his expertise with a real desire to empower readers through his love of Appalachian cooking. Each recipe is crafted and tested with great detail and accuracy to shine a bright light on the best of culinary traditions he first discovered in one of the most storied and breathtaking valleys in the Southeast. The subtitle to his book says it all: “Delicious Recipes that Capture the Soul of Mountains and Holler. “
Proffitt has an ever-growing following, as evidenced by his experience following East Tennessee’s record-breaking January snow event in 2024. He decided to make snow cream “like any good Appalachian person does,” Proffitt laughs, and he had the good sense to film the whole process. The video quickly went viral, with 36 million views and at last count, Proffitt says, if a person tried to watch his snow cream video back-to-back as many times as it has been viewed, it would take some 28 years.
Proffitt’s blog, The Appalachian Tale, has amassed a faithful readership drawn to his genuinely big-hearted, good-humored nature and his willingness to share and teach others about this cherished culinary culture. Starting out as a part-time server 27 years ago, Proffitt is now Marketing Brand Manager and Historian for The Old Mill in Pigeon Forge. He makes his home in Morristown, Tennessee. Connect with Jimmy Proffitt at TheAppalachianTale.com.
“That’s what Appalachians do, they just find a way and get things done.” — Jimmy Proffitt.