Chow Chow with Kelly

This week we were fortunate to sit down with my father-in-law, Kelly, to talk about his family's tradition of Chow Chow. If you grew up in the South, you might even have an open jar of chow chow on the shelf in the fridge. It is a sweet relish made from the last crops of the summer, right as the temps are beginning to drop and the tomato vines stop ripening. I was lucky enough to marry into a family with many traditions related to cooking food and eating in community. Kelly's father's chow chow was known to win first, second, and third prize annually at the Iredell County Fair. 

If you grew up in North Carolina, like Kelly did, you probably also know something about liver mush and pig pickings. Kelly shared about his experiences eating and preparing these dishes. We talked about his father's service station, which served as a gathering place for many in Troutman. About eating  in community, Kelly says, "I do think that food is a way of bringing people together. Everyone enjoys a good meal. It doesn’t matter what your background is; people enjoy being together over food. 

Like his wife, Leanne, whom we met several weeks ago on this podcast, Kelly has dedicate his entire life to public service., specifically through law enforcement. He is thoughtful, generous, and extremely personable. Together, he and Leanne are an unstoppable pain in the kitchen. They can put together an entire Thanksgiving meal in hours without breaking a sweat. It is a remarkable thing to witness! And a delicious thing to experience. 

With the upcoming election and community division about how COVIID has been handled, it is important to remember one of Kelly's core messages. We humans are very, very similar, although we tend to focus on our differences, even among family. But when we gather around the table, as Kelly puts it, "It’s a way of showing that we are a lot more alike than we are different. "