on the table
By Tess Wells Photo by John Nixon Photography, food photos courtesy of Cindy Ramsey
Local Cook, Local Ingredients Cindy Ramsey keeps her kitchen seasonal, messy and full of love
G
ood food is much more than flavor and ingredients, although those are important. For Cindy Ramsey, a cooking instructor with the Westerville Farmers’ Market and The Seasoned Farmhouse, cooking is about sharing. Ramsey, raised by parents who both cooked frequently at home, says she has been cooking and baking since her childhood. Early experiences tagging along with her father to the grocery store, watching her mother cook for six children and sitting down to eat as a family at the end of each day combined to create a strong association between food and connection for Ramsey. “Cooking and sharing food is just family, it’s just happiness, it’s love,” she says. “I think that it just stuck with me. All my siblings cook, but nobody cooks like me.” It wasn’t until 2012 that Ramsey decided to take her love of cooking and baking beyond sharing tasty treats with her neighbors. That’s when she started her blog, Cooking With Chez Cindy. The blog was a springboard, and Ramsey began working as a cooking instructor with the Westerville Farmers’ Market, at the Westerville Public Library and with The Seasoned Farmhouse, where she teaches classes for children from ages 10-15. When it comes to teaching younger cooks, Ramsey says the messier the better. She typically keeps the recipes she teaches in her children’s classes simple, with favorites including sloppy Joes and meatballs, which allow her students to have fun while cooking.
26 January/February 2022
www.westervillemagazine.com
