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Taste of Home Cooking School

PARKERSBURG — Foodies from across the Mid-Ohio Valley converged at Parkersburg South High School on Saturday for the Taste of Home Cooking School, sponsored by The Parkersburg News and Sentinel.

Saturday’s show had two parts. The first was an expo featuring a number of area businesses offering their wares, whether it be food or food preparation. The second part was a two-hour cooking school led by Taste of Home Culinary Specialist Dana Elliott.

Elliot, an Indiana native, said she learned  to cook at an early age and from there it grew to be her profession. She attended The Art institute of Fort Lauderdale with a bachelor degree in culinary management and was the recipient of the Outstanding Culinary Achievement Award.

She mixes cooking instruction with humor in her shows, and since they are live, almost anything can happen. Elliott said she has been in the food business for 35 years and she does about 40 Taste of Home Shows annually.

One of the sponsors of the cooking school was the area Foodland stores. Jim Oppe, president of TWJ Inc., said the company has sponsored similar shows in the past.

“Several years ago we were the food sponsor and we are this year,” he said. “We also have a booth out front – that is something we didn’t have the opportunity before and it has been great.

“We’re having fun.”

Oppe said the stores supplied the food used in the show Saturday.

“We love it when people cook,” he said. “We are happy to do this since we are the local store and we love to do this type of thing.”

Many of those at Saturday’s show said they had been to Taste of Home Shows in the past and they were looking forward to picking up a few pointers, secrets and shortcuts in the kitchen.

Karen Dent, of Parkersburg, said she brought along six friends this year .

“I just came to experience it,” she said. “I went to one several years ago and I really enjoyed it and this time I got six tickets and we’re making a day of it.”

Dent said she hoped she and her friends would be able to pick up some new ideas after Elliott’s presentation.

Debby Good, of Parkersburg, came with a friend and it was her first time to attend a cooking school.

“I was looking to come out with some new recipes,” she said.

In the process she said she found something she didn’t expect.

“I’m a coffee addict and I found Timely Brew Cafe and I’m in love with this booth,” she said.

Mike McKain, owner of Timely Brew Cafe, said coming to shows like the cooking school is good for his business.

“We have lots of different coffee,” he said. “We do a lot of frozen coffee, hot coffee, frozen drinks, smoothies and protein drinks. We started with coffee and grew from there with a place in Grand Central Mall and Point Park Marketplace.”

Leonard Riley, of Clarksburg, said Saturday was his first time at an event like Taste of Home.

“It’s something different for me,” he said “I might learn about some things good to eat.”

Yvonne Hinkle, of Ellenboro, and Rita Wanstreet, of Pennsboro, came to the school hoping to find a few new recipes and do some shopping.

“I hope to learn about a few things here today,” Hinkle said. “I’d like to get some Christmas shopping done.”

Becky Kidder and Amy Hanlon, co-owners of Crazy Cake Cafe, said the school was a great opportunity for them to get their name out to the public.

“It has been a steady stream since the doors opened,” Kidder said. “A lot of people are interested in picking up our order forms for holiday orders. We’re excited to be here and get our name out there and help people understand we are not a cupcake shop. We are so much better than a cupcake shop.”

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