And, while my Irish mom is a big part of who I am (and my dad, too…I named my dog Henry in his honor), my love of food and cooking and feeding people seems to come from my maternal grandmother, Mary Fitzpatrick. She and my grandfather Clark lived on a working farm in Harford County and I’ve written a little about them before. They were extremely hard working people – raising lambs, pigs, chickens and steer, churning their own butter, smoking and curing meats and so much more. Mary was a fabulous cook and if you stopped by their house, you ate. Like, really, ate. One of my mom’s most vivid food memories was her mother frying chicken in bacon fat – she said the skin was perfectly crispy. I’ve gotta try that.
The Charm City Cook, Amy Langrehr, shares her tale of lunching with the Barefoot Contessa cookbook author.
Hi! I’m Amy Langrehr, also known as Charm City Cook. I grew up in rural Baltimore County, and now I live in the heart of Baltimore City. This suburban-to-urban migration has influenced nearly every aspect of my life as a food writer and cook. 