Deborah Hunter: Cooking with Honey

By Dr. Brenda Wilder

Deborah Hunter is the founder of Cooking With Honey and Friends and is affectionately known as the Cookie Lady. Her cookbook is titled My Delicious Mississippi Life. Hunter grew in West Jackson, the oldest of four children and the only girl in a household of three boys. She joked that she would trade all three brothers for one bicycle.

Hunter lives by the philosophy of getting as much education as possible but also exploring the curious mind and discovering/exploring new opportunities. She is a self-taught entrepreneur and believes art is food, science, and technology. All these belong to God, and one can constantly be learning every day. Everywhere she goes, Hunter likes to bring a sample of her cooking.

In 2011, Hunter bought a home with a chef kitchen. She raised her hands, closed her eyes, asked the Holy Spirit to give her the gift of cooking. She felt a sweet affirming spirit sweep across her and knew it was God. The next morning she began cooking, knowing the Biblical principle of Faith Without Action. Later she was invited by Randy Tin with Comcast to present a cooking show, which continued for two years.

Hunter lives by the philosophy of getting as much education as possible but also exploring the curious mind and discovering/ exploring new opportunities.

Next Mississippi Public Broadcasting invited Hunter to present a radio show, which proceeded for six years. During that time, she began freelance writing for various agencies online, one of which asked her to write a cookbook.

Hunter had compiled recipes over several years. Some of the recipes were from friends and others were original, since Hunter believes time in the kitchen always adds ones’ own personality to whatever she’s cooking. Her cookbook tells a story about love and kindness, including many quotes by her grandmother. When the cookbook was introduced, it was sold out within a few hours and was one of Amazon’s best sellers within a couple of days. Hunter knows it was a God thing and is very grateful.

In addition to cooking, Hunter is an artist and has a collection. She loved to sketch as a child, and when she is under pressure, God gives her something to do. She bought some paint and canvases, and painting became a joy she couldn’t stop. She began mixing color and texture and getting new ideas, crediting God for being alive and well in her life with creativity. She’s now exploring writing poetry and songs, plus sculpture. Hunter believes God wants to overflow in our lives, inspired by trusting Him and His process.

One piece of Hunter’s art came from inspiration while riding through the MS Delta, seeing the ending of the harvest for cotton. She began imagining about what is was like for her ancestors and what life is like today. She thought about people of color always being beautiful, and it inspired her to paint a yellow dress symbolizing the past and present freedom. Hunter’s art can be viewed online under the Deborah Hunter Collection. At Deborah Hunter with Facebook, her Delicious Mississippi Life Cookbook can be viewed.

Hunter has had the spirit of an entrepreneur throughout life. She was a cosmetologist for thirty years, which prepared her for life and where she is now, because she was given a love for people. To her, being an entrepreneur is not just about producing a product or sale, but it’s really connecting heart to heart with the soul of people. She thinks about how we can change each other’s lives.

The Cookie Lady idea developed in 2020. A friend requested that Hunter make some cookies for an office meeting, which were eaten quickly. The Holy Spirit led her to bake more cookies, which has financially sustained her during a difficult year. Hunter thinks that God is an entrepreneur, and the hardest part of having a business is overcoming one’s insecurities and minding the business of the mind. God can help create a new, clean heart within us. It’s difficult to focus when one has too much on the mind.

When we ask for money, sometimes God doesn’t give us the money but rather gives us an idea in order to create something to make the money. God is a generous banker and will be exceedingly abundant in our lives.

Hunter cooks for her parents every Sunday, her way of investing back into their lives for the loving kindness and prayer they have shown to her. They were an excellent example for Hunter to follow. During the pandemic, Hunter thinks too many are focused on what’s wrong, and the more one focuses on that, the more it will influence more wrong. She suggests giving acts of kindness to parents, friends, children, and even strangers.

Hunter suggests trying something new for the holidays. A friend of hers had grandparents who tasted the dishes that the grandchildren had been assigned to cook. They tasted the dishes, said a prayer, and gave a blessing to each grandchild. It’s a creative way to share love. Family members can also share events with loved ones via Zoom while cooking or special family gatherings.

For more information, visit her Facebook page, https://www.facebook. com/Cooking-With-Honey-andFriends-162761787161363.