Page 2 - Indulgence

Indulgence in Food, by Teressa Woodward

While growing up in a small town in Southern Oklahoma around the 1960’s and 70’s, my
Mother didn’t often cook. Instead, our family dinner destination was Opal’s Café. Being a
picky eater, I always ate the same thing. My nightly choice was hamburger with meat, bun
and mustard only & French fries . When my perfectionist mother would venture into our
home kitchen, I was never allowed to help for fear of making a mess. Her Mother, on the
other hand, my Nanny, who lived across the street from our house, loved to show and have
me assist with all of her generation’s down-home cooking traditions. She taught me how to
make my family favorites, Chicken Fried Steak, Salmon Croquettes and Buttermilk Pie. Daddy
adored my Beef Lasagna and requested it regularly.

It was the mid 1980’s before I ever began to venture out into the real world of food variety

with some remarkable exposure to fine dining, the likes of which most food fans could only
dream. My husband worked in several up-scale restaurants and hotels by trade and would
bring home the chef’s latest creations to expand my horizons. I was generously invited to
meet and freely ask any food questions with the chefs and my collection of menus, notes
taken and food recipe knowledge grew rapidly. As my recipe collection grew, so did my love
for being able to make their delicacies at home, dazzling friends and family.

In the mid 1990’s, my husband, James and I opened Woodward’s Wines & Elixirs, a specialty

wine store and one of its successful promotional concepts was the production of a monthly
newsletter. Together, we agreed that a monthly food recipe would be a welcomed feature.
The pressure was on, I had easily organized my favorites, but as the years began to pass, new
inspiration was needed. I began to purchase and read numerous cookbooks and magazines
such as Bon Appétit and Food & Wine. I would start with a base recipe then ask James to help
alter or add different ingredients while infusing the perfect table wine, fortified wine, cordial
or spirit to improve flavor. While he found it somewhat amusing, he was usually more
irritated when clients would come by our store, only to pick up a copy of my monthly recipe.

In the mid 2000’s, our Wine Distribution Company,
Woodward’s Wines UNcommon, routinely hosted winemaker
dinners for 60 people through our custom kitchen. Local,

guest chefs often participated with me at their side in the
preparations, taking my food knowledge and recipe collection
to its ultimate level.

“INDULGENCE” is a generational gathering of my earliest and
continued heartfelt food recipe accomplishments. You likely

will not find them in any publication. They are quite original,
especially my storyline of their initial discovery and James’
expert wine pairing recommendations.

More information? e-mail me at ultraindulgence@cox.net