A Second Helping
Andria Gaskins is a romance novelist and great cook By Lelita Cannon
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ndria Gaskins holds many titles — doctor, wife, mother, novelist and culinary artist extraordinaire — to name a few. A graduate of Wake Forest University, Gaskins was proprietor and head physician at Gaskins Chiropractic until 2003 when her first son was born. During that time, she felt a professional transition would best serve her family. She still wanted to work but remain close to home. After visiting Charlotte Regional Farmer’s Market, her husband suggested she sell baked goods there. Initially, she resisted. The idea didn’t appeal to her as a particularly successful or glamourous shift from her career as a chiropractor. “Leaving my practice to make cakes and pies sounded a bit cuckoo,” she said. Gaskins experienced a less than delightful run-in with a more seasoned vendor she approached for advice while researching the venture. It was then that she decided to open her own stand. And her fellow baker’s customers followed her. Patrons flocked to her shop, and in 2004, Queen City Kitchen was born. Here, she also offered private in-house catering for market clientele. In 2005, Gaskins birthed her second son, but continued to serve customers via her home baking business through 2010. She began cooking competitively in 2008 and participated in contests around the country for five years. She has won multiple awards for her cornbread—a tried and true traditional Southern favorite. She launched the website QueenCityKitchen.com in 2009 and has appeared as a regular guest chef featured on “Charlotte Today” and “Good Day Charlotte.” Gaskins cultivates her own recipes and develops additional concepts to improve upon those that are not her original creations. She plucks motivation from myriad resources. “I get inspired by different things and experiences. I can’t put my finger on just one thing. If I write a recipe for my website, I’m inspired by childhood memories, experiences with my husband or past cooking competitions. If I write a recipe for TV or a contest, I pay close attention to current food trends and try to incorporate them into recipes that spark nostalgic
Novelist and cookbook author, Andria Gaskins and her book, A Second Helping. Photo courtesy of Andria Gaskins
memories for the viewers or judges. My inspiration comes when the situation comes.” In 2015, Gaskins’ book, “A Second Helping” was published. Marrying her enthusiasm for love and cuisine led her to construct the consummate romantic comedy. She never set out to write a novel, but instead, dreamed of publishing a cookbook; however, agents and publishers were more interested in celebrity cookbooks. Nonetheless, Gaskins found the silver lining. Deeply in love and living her own fairytale with her husband of 22 years — her college sweetheart — and father of their two teenage sons, she wanted to share what that looked and felt like. “I don’t really like romance novels, but I’m a corny sap who’s really good at writing love stories,” she said. “I love love.” “My husband was a published short story writer, and I am too competitive for my own good. I figured if he could write short stories and get them published, then I’m going to write a long story and get it published.” Gaskins has authored a cookbook inspired by what her characters in “A Second Helping” ate. She’s currently testing recipes with plans to debut for the 2022 holiday season. She is also currently
working on her second novel. Though it has been challenging, completing both a novel and cookbook while growing Queen City Kitchen, her goal is to release the untitled book in 2023. Gaskins is a Matthews Community Farmers Market vendor and board member. Her Queen City Kitchen select baked goods are also available at Coffee Central on the campus of Central Church. Follow Andria on Instagram @queen.city.kitchen. P March-April 2022 | Pride Magazine
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