WILLIAMSBURG — Patty Putnam, a Williamsburg resident, has loved cooking since she was a little girl, with fond memories of being with her mom in the kitchen whipping up all kinds of dishes.
Now Putnam is in the running for a spot on the cover of Taste of Home Magazine as America’s Favorite Home Chef.
Putnam was a designer and artist for many years before being sidelined by an autoimmune disease. After going through the motions of grieving her career, she said she started reading cookbooks like novels.
“During this transitional period of working and feeling like I was doing something with my life to this feeling sorry for myself phase, cooking became an outlet for me to be creative, show my passion, and give back to my family and friends. It challenges me, because when I cook, I don’t just do basics, I go all out,” Putnam said.
After posting photos of her dishes to social media, Putnam’s friends and family began to take notice.
“I started doing supper nights at my home for them. Being as sick as I am, I might pay for it for a few days after but I genuinely want to cook for people. A friend asked me to make cupcakes for her wedding recently for over 200 people. I made 200 cupcakes in four different flavors, and while I couldn’t walk for three days after, that to me gives me pride and accomplishment so I’m going to do it,” Putnam said.
Putnam learned of the Taste of Home competition and entered with no inkling that she would be accepted.
She has no formal training, just a pure love for being in the kitchen.
“There’s love and there’s flavor in my dishes. To me, that’s a beautiful way to say thank you for being my friend or thank you for working so hard to my husband to support me,” Putnam said.
Her favorite dish to cook? Low and slow fried chicken.
“There is no buttermilk in my recipe, the chicken isn’t greasy, it melts in your mouth. My mom made it my entire life, along with that, she would make pan gravy over homemade biscuits, and southern green beans and homemade mashed potatoes. To me, that is what home tastes like. There’s so much love in that dish for me,” Putnam said.
If Putnam wins the competition, she will also receive $25,000 and a chance to meet celebrity chef Carla Hall.
“I’ve kind of started on this new career for myself and meeting someone like Carla would be inspirational. Being able to talk to her about how she got started and get tips and tricks from her, even though I won’t ever be a chef in a restaurant, it would be a special experience to share our passion for cooking in a conversation,” Putnam said.
Voting for the competition is free once a day. Voters can also pay for votes, with the money raised donated to the James Beard Foundation. The nonprofit aims to create a more equitable and sustainable future in the restaurant industry.
“It would be an amazing joy for me to win this competition. But, I’m having fun with it along the way. I keep forgetting it’s a competition, but it’s really fun to be competing for something that I love doing,” Putnam said.
To vote for Putnam, visit favechef.com.