Hannah Mitchell
Keeper of Family Recipes & Traditions
September 15th, 1995: The day I lost everything and found my true calling.
The fire that consumed our family restaurant should have been the end of our story. Instead, it became the beginning. Standing in the ashes of our 40-year-old establishment, I discovered that while buildings can burn, traditions and flavors live forever in our hearts and minds.
I spent the next fifteen years recreating every recipe from memory – not just the ingredients and methods, but the stories, the laughter, and the countless moments that made our little restaurant the heart of our community. Each attempt brought back vivid memories: Dad’s secret barbecue sauce that took him 23 years to perfect. Mom’s way of knowing exactly when the pie crust was ready just by the smell. The regulars who became family.
The Cooking Hut isn’t just another food blog or recipe collection. It’s my family’s legacy reborn in digital form. A place where I share not only the recreated recipes from our restaurant but also the new ones born from its ashes. Every dish here carries a piece of our history, adapted for modern kitchens but keeping the soul of traditional cooking alive.
No fancy food styling. No endless scrolling through life stories to get to the recipe. Just honest, time-tested recipes that work. Because that’s what my parents taught me: good food doesn’t need fancy packaging.
Looking for perfection? You won’t find it here. But you’ll find real food, real stories, and occasionally, my dad’s old jokes that used to make customers simultaneously groan and smile.
Welcome to my kitchen. It might not be as polished as others, but like my dad always said,
‘The best flavors come from the most lived-in kitchens.’
With warmth from our kitchen to yours,
Hannah