PEOPLE YOU SHOULD KNOW
Martha's Kitchen BY LIESEL SCHMIDT
A
passionate cook and lover of people, Fairhope native Martha AnnMerritt Taylor has everything that makes a great restauranteur—just without the background in hospitality or the actual desire to own a restaurant. Still, her undeniable talents in the kitchen are appreciated by those around her, and that talent has become the foundation for a different way to share her love of food with people.
Literally blossoming from the simple salami roses she used to make, Martha’s idea to start a catering company took shape in February of 2021, just after Valentine’s Day. A former secondary language arts teacher in St. Croix, St. Thomas, and Utah, Martha found herself wanting to try something new when she returned home to Fairhope—though that something was something she never saw coming. “I have been in the kitchen for as long as I can remember, learning from my mother and grandmothers,” she notes. “When I was growing up, people always asked me when I was going to start a restaurant, but a sit-in restaurant was never something that really interested me. I never considered that there were other ways of doing something I loved.” JUNE / JULY 2022
71
