Cooking with Brenda Gantt

BY CAROLYN DRINKARD

Who would have ever thought that a grandmother making homemade buttermilk biscuits would become an overnight social media sensation? Probably no one, but that’s exactly what has happened to Brenda Gantt from Andalusia, Alabama.

It all started when several young men at Bethany Baptist Church asked Brenda to teach their wives how to make her famous buttermilk biscuits. Brenda intended to hold a small session at their church, but suddenly, everyone was confined in their homes! With no way to meet in person, this former teacher decided to hold a virtual class. She filmed herself by holding her phone with her left hand and making biscuits with her right.

Within the space of two weeks, the Facebook page “Cooking with Brenda Gantt” garnered over 600,000 followers.

“It was awkward, “she laughed, “but I did it!”

After posting and tagging the young wives, Brenda’s homemade video went viral, garnering over a million views and thousands of comments!

“People said they had never seen biscuits done like that,” Brenda laughed. “I think viewers really thought, ‘Bless her heart, she doesn’t have but one hand. If she can do it, so can I!’”

Friends and family urged Brenda to post more cooking videos, so Walt Merrill, her son-in-law, installed a hands-free phone holder, giving her the ability to move around more. He also made Brenda a new Facebook page, calling it “Cooking with Brenda Gantt.” In two weeks, the page had over 600,000 followers.

Brenda Gantt’s cooking is well-known in her hometown of Andalusia, Alabama. For years, she and her late husband, George, catered for weddings and other special events. They also prepared Wednesday-night meals for Bethany Baptist Church. The Gantts owned the Cottle House, a popular bed-and-breakfast, and Brenda cooked breakfasts for visitors from all over the world.

One biscuit video on social media, however, changed everything for Brenda Gantt! Now, she welcomes thousands into her kitchen to learn about old-timey Southern cooking that people actually eat. She cooks timeless, down-home favorites in a simple, easy-to-follow manner, constantly encouraging her fans: “Y’all can do this! It’s gonna be so good, y’all!”

Making a light, fluffy buttermilk biscuit is a Southern art, and Brenda wants all of America (and now, the world) to learn how to make these treasures. (She even has a dog named Biscuit!) Brenda uses White Lily self-rising flour, whole buttermilk, Crisco and her hands to mix these treasures. She pats the dough gently and cuts it with a twist, using the top of an old Chef Boyardee can that George made for her many years ago. She “bumps” each biscuit, side-by-side, in a greased cast-iron griddle pan and bakes them at 500 degrees for 12-15 minutes.

“I’ve made thousands of biscuits, and people have eaten them!” she said. “The secret is how little you handle your dough. That makes your biscuits moist, light and fluffy.” After watching Brenda’s video, viewers have sent pictures of their own attempts at making her famous biscuits.

Making a light, fluffy buttermilk biscuit is a Southern art that Brenda Gantt has mastered! She has made thousands and taught even more to make these treasures. She cooks them at 500 degrees in a cast-iron griddle.

Brenda is a breath of fresh air in these troubled times. She offers warm, Southern hospitality and treats everyone like an old friend. Thousands say that time with Brenda brings back “precious memories” of cooking with their mothers and grandmothers. Many compliment Brenda’s infectious enthusiasm and boundless energy, calling her a “ray of sunshine.” Fans love her folksy informality and lack of pretense. If something goes wrong while she is filming, Brenda simply laughs at herself and goes on. If the telephone rings, she cuts off the video and returns after she has finished talking.

Brenda’s kitchen shows her love of antiques and things that are special to her. She has never bought fancy cookware from a store, choosing instead to use her mother’s treasured utensils or seasoned kitchenware she found years ago when she owned an antique store. Cast-iron pieces are her favorites. Incredibly, her videos have sparked renewed interest in this traditional ware. (She even did a show on how to clean and season cast iron.) After Brenda made cornbread in a wedge skillet, readers from all over the country lamented about being unable to find one like it. One lady told about calling the Lodge Outlet in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, only to be told that “a little old lady, down in Andalusia, Alabama, had made cornbread in this pan on a Facebook video, and within a week, the entire stock had sold out.”

Dumplings are a Southern treat almost as popular as biscuits. Brenda taught her fans how to make these favorites so they would be light and airy and not clump together. Many commented that they had never tried to make them before.

Hannah Merrill (r) inherited her passion for good cooking from her mother, Brenda Gantt (l). Each Sunday, Brenda prepares lunch for her children and grandchildren. Both women love to cook good, Southern country dishes that people actually eat.

A prophet for practicality, Brenda encourages her friends to “use what you got in your kitchen.” She believes that a good cook can make something out of anything! She demonstrates healthy money-saving dishes, like dried beans, collards and cabbage or shows pieces of meat that can be used in many different dishes. She has taught fans to fry fatback, make sawmill gravy and cut up their own chickens. Once, she even prepared wild boar, harvested by her grandson, George.

Brenda Gantt has become a “one-woman Chamber of Commerce” for the city of Andalusia. She often shares stories of shopping at “The Pig” (Piggly Wiggly), Wingard’s Produce Stand and the Andalusia Coop. She uses “Dixie Dirt,” a rub made in Andalusia, and had the makers on one of her videos. Once, Brenda even put on her boots and cowboy hat to take her followers on a personal tour of Hilltop Seafood Restaurant and Hilltop Meat Company. These road trips excited viewers in countries like Australia, England and Canada, who told Brenda that they were searching for safe destinations in small-town America. After seeing her videos, they plan to visit Andalusia.

A free spirit who drives a pickup truck, Brenda has used her newfound fame as a way to be a positive influence on others. She reads thousands of “comments” that her viewers leave, but her greatest joy comes when her fans talk to each other, even answering questions and sharing recipes. Her viewers send hundreds of cards and letters, as well as homemade gifts.

In one video, Cape Merrill demonstrated how to make her grandmother’s famous buttermilk biscuits. Cape also helps to film some of Brenda’s cooking shows.

In 1996, Brenda and her late husband, George Gantt, opened the Cottle House, a popular bed and breakfast. Beside this home is “The Lodge,” a small, oneroom, cozy cabin that she also rents. Brenda cooks homemade breakfasts for her guests from all over the world.

Brenda loves her family, and family members often join her to cook their favorite dishes. Her granddaughters often help with filming. She shares her faith, joyfully quoting scriptures and even singing familiar refrains from her childhood. Brenda’s positivity and optimism endear her to her fans. She ends most videos by telling her viewers that she loves them.

“I started this page because I wanted to teach people how easy cooking great Southern meals could be. I never imagined all of this would happen, but now I know I am on the right path!”

For country cooking at its best, find the “Cooking with Brenda Gantt” videos on Facebook.