BY MERLE MONAHAN/CONTRIBUTING WRITER
merlemonah@aol.com

IVOR—Jennie Wells had three good cooking teachers.

“I learned from my mother, Mary Lewis, and my aunt, Bertha Holmes,” Wells said. “But then I got married and I realized there was a lot I didn’t know when I started cooking with my mother-in-law, Martha Wells.”

Jennie Wells lived in a mobile home behind her late mother-in-law, and they cooked together a lot.

“She was a good teacher,” Wells said. “In fact, she taught my husband, who I’ll have to say is a better cook than I am.”

Wells’ teachers have all passed away, but she remembers them with love.

“They were wonderful to me,” she said.

One of eight children, Wells grew up near Zuni. She has lived in Ivor since her marriage and has a son, Raymond, and a daughter, Monique.

For the last six years, Wells has worked five days a week for the Southampton County Public Schools, transporting special education children.

When she’s not working, she can often be found in her kitchen, cooking for a church dinner, or a neighbor who isn’t feeling well.

“I love to cook, and it seems I have somewhat of a reputation for my potato salad and my sweet potato pie,” Wells said. “I am asked to bring either one or the other when we have suppers at church or other get-togethers.”

Her family usually goes to her sister’s home for holiday dinners, but Wells always brings a couple of dishes.

Neither of her children wants to learn to cook.

“But they’re always there when it’s time to eat,” Wells said.

NAME: Jennie Wells

AGE: 69

OCCUPATION: Driver for special education students in the Southampton County Public Schools

FAVORITE FOOD: Seafood

LEAST FAVORITE FOOD: Okra

WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU REMEMBER COOKING: Pancakes

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR WORST COOKING EXPERIENCE: I once cooked some pork neck bones and forgot to add onions, salt and pepper. They weren’t very good, but we doctored them up so we could eat them.

WHAT IS ONE INGREDIENT YOU CAN’T COOK WITHOUT AND WHY: Black pepper. It gives a better taste.

WHAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING YOU HAVE LEARNED ABOUT COOKING: Be sure to have all ingredients on hand before you start. Sometimes you just can’t substitute.

WHO IS THE BEST COOK YOU HAVE EVER KNOWN AND WHY: My aunt, Bertha Holms. She could make the best foods, like tomato pudding and butter beans, without even thinking. She never used a recipe, just good common sense. She could cook anything — her sons hunted a lot and she could cook wild game as well as pork or beef. I stayed with her often and I learned a lot about cooking when I was there, but I have to say, I did more eating than cooking.

IF YOU COULD EAT ONE THING FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE, WHAT WOULD IT BE: Seafood.

Jennie Wells’

Sweet Potato Pie

Ingredients:

Three large sweet potatoes, boiled, peeled and mashed

1 stick butter

½ can condensed milk

3 eggs, lightly beaten

2 cups sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. lemon flavoring

1 tsp. all-purpose flour

Pinch of salt

1 cup flaked coconut (optional)

2 uncooked pie shells

Directions:

Add all ingredients to mashed potatoes and pour into pie shells. Cook at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Cool before cutting. Makes two pies.