Stories from the Kitchen

Cooking is ancient and every culture has its own twist on how food is prepared. Gathering together and “breaking bread” has its roots in civilizations dating back to biblical times. Sitting around the table and sharing stories while eating is a key element in oral history development and building community. What can stories and words do to excite and re-energize cooking? How do words create a culinary appetite? To talk about the power of words and cooking, Amy and Holland invited Chef John Malik and Victoria Duerstock to the table. Join the conversation below.

Chef John Malik  is a food & beverage consultant, writer, digital marketer, and cyclist. While chef/owner of 33 Liberty Restaurant in Greenville, SC, he was featured on Food Network, Bon Appetit Magazine, Southern Living, Chile Pepper Magazine, and received a nomination from the James Beard Society for Best Chef in the Southeast. John’s online essays about his many food-based experiences, including competitive barbecue, appearing live with Sara Moulton, and trading shots with Anthony Bourdain, helped to renew his interest in writing. While Food & Beverage Director of Greenville’s Cascades Verdae Retirement Community, he wrote and published his novel Doughnuts for Amy.

Victoria Duerstock is a teacher and speaker who desires to inspire hope and ignite God’s purpose and His glory through stories. Victoria has two new projects Heart & Home: Design Basics for Your Soul and Your Living Space and Heart & Home for Christmas: Celebrating Joy in our Living Space. These short devotionals present scripture, personal application, prayer and design along with seasonal tips in each full-color volume.

Listen to Part One

Listen to Part Two

Meet the hosts

Holland Webb is a full-time freelance writer and editor. He spends his days writing about higher education, B2B technology, and nonprofit organizations. His clients have let him write for U.S. News & World Report, The Learning House, The Red Lantern, and Sweet Fish Media. Holland’s favorite writers are Malcolm Gladwell, Olive Ann Burns, and Flannery O’Connor. In his spare time … are you kidding, what spare time? You can reach him through www.theafterwordpodcast.com or on Twitter at @WebbHollandLyle.

Amy Bowlin is a veteran teacher. She works with 6-year-olds in literacy intervention and shares with college seniors the art of teaching literacy. Balancing both worlds involves commuting which allows her to listen to her favorite podcasts, “Wait Wait … Don’t Tell Me,” “This American Life” and “Revisionist History.” When she is not traveling to Greece to work with refugees, she likes to write, hike, kayak and spend time with family and friends. You can reach her through www.theafterwordpodcast.com or on Twitter at @albowlin1.