Chef Tonya: A Memoir of Family Traditions & Recipes from the Hollers of West Virginia Hardcover – November 5, 2025

This book is part Appalachian memoir, part heirloom recipe collection, and part love letter to the women who held a family together with cast iron, faith, and grit.Tonya Curry — a classically trained chef born in Toledo, Ohio, but raised by the traditions of the West Virginia hollers — invites readers into the kitchens that built her. From Sunday dinners where pinto beans simmered all day and cornbread crackled in cast iron, to holiday spreads that fed crowds on little more than love and resourcefulness, each chapter pairs a full meal with the story that made it unforgettable.Instead of organizing recipes by category, Tonya organizes them the way life was lived:Sunday Dinners • Everyday Suppers • Holiday Feasts • Summertime Snacks • Desserts • Family StaplesEach menu begins with a personal memory — the smell of ham hocks when the door opened, humidity hitting before a hug, the last sacred bite of skillet cornbread soaked in broth — followed by step-by-step recipes refined through professional culinary training.Inside, readers will find:Generational recipes — fried potatoes with the skins on, cabbage rolls, pot roast, mac and cheese, biscuits and gravy, chicken and dumplingsMenus that tell full stories — not just dishesReflections on family, loss, healing, and the power of food to connect usA celebration of Appalachian heritage through a modern chef’s lens"This book is a collection of meals that mean something.Meals that made us.Meals that mended us.Meals that marked time."More than a cookbook, this is a legacy preserved in print — one that proves recipes aren’t just measured, they’re felt. Read more