[title subtitle=”WORDS and IMAGES Jennifer Burchett”][/title]
Walking into Jan Dyer’s kitchen is like taking a trip down memory lane. Freshly ground nutmeg and sautéed peaches bring to life a bouquet of aroma that transports you back to the good ole days, when relatives scurried and laughed their way around the kitchen as they made southern classics for the entire family to share. Though an executive realty broker by day, Jan’s side project of making cooking videos is quickly growing in popularity and has become a wonderful way to be with loved ones while harnessing the true power of southern comfort food.
On any given week, Jan makes between three and four cooking videos. Each is produced with the assistance of her husband, Bobby, who has a long career in video production at Channel 40 News and as the media director for First Baptist Church. Though the recipes vary, Jan’s charisma is steadfast throughout. She speaks as if she’s known you for years; you can almost see her in your kitchen, chatting away and shooing curious little fingers desperate for a taste. Her arms work as if the recipes were written on the back of her hand, and with hardly giving a second glance, she glides around her kitchen, from here to there, preparing the meal as she tells stories and gives instruction in classic southern style. It doesn’t take long for Jan’s videos to give viewers the confidence they need to take the plunge and put her cooking methods to good use.
“Anybody can cook,” smiles Jan as she shares her broad range of home experiences. “Really, anybody can do this! I started these videos because I wanted to show how easy it is… I love cooking and was lonely for my family. Making the videos and knowing that the food will bring joy to others makes me feel better about not seeing my own family during the pandemic.”
Since beginning the video project in June of this year, Jan and her production team (Bobby) have made and posted roughly twenty videos to Facebook. So far the meals include smothered steak, chicken spaghetti, and peach cobbler, to name a few. With every meal, watching Jan is like bringing her classic southern style straight into your kitchen. In that respect, though people are separated due to the pandemic, they may still share in the joy of food. No matter the recipe, it’s always served with a side of comfort.
Whether cooking or eating together, there’s no doubt that the power of food extends beyond nutrition. And it is that deeply spiritual aspect of cooking that puts the cherry on top of the metaphorical cake that makes Jan’s act of service even sweeter.
“I make food and I take food. Being a servant helps people. When you make food it feels good, but when you see people enjoying it, it’s wonderful. Taking food is a way of loving them,” shares Jan.
True to her mission as a daughter, friend, and servant of God, Jan makes it a point to take food to her mother as often as she can. She has also found herself at the disposal of those in need, including for members of her long-time church, First Baptist. In fact, it was through being saved that Jan’s life became so strongly oriented around service.
“I was saved when Mandi (Jan’s eldest child) was born. Members of the church came to our home as part of their New Baby Visitation ministry. In those days, births were printed in the newspaper.”
At twenty-one years of age, Jan was saved shortly after becoming a mother. As a homemaker in her early years of growing a family, food became inextricably tied to service and family, both of which emanate as Jan smiles gently in her videos. It isn’t simply how to cook the meals that Jan is teaching her viewers – she connects them with a joyous service to others, one that started many years ago.
“My inclination toward service happened immediately upon motherhood and being saved. The world was bigger, and I realized that there is more to life than me and my husband. I gained a sense of responsibility, and service was the gift I could give. I couldn’t give material things, but I could give the gift of service.”
Two more children followed Mandi; Bobby Joe and Nicholas Preston. Cooking helped them build loving, lasting relationships. In no time, all the children became experts at adding ingredients to the Crockpot or cookie dough, which, incidentally, always had a way of diminishing before being baked. Cooking together engaged the family and brought them together in more ways than just sitting around the table and eating the food. For the Dyer Family, it was the process of cooking, the journey, that was just as fulfilling.
Jan describes how thankful she is to have been given the opportunity to teach her children how to cook. “Sharing the kitchen was so important for our family. It was a nice activity to do with the children. Food is one of the most important things I gave my family.”
When the youngest of their three children started school, Jan returned to work at First Baptist Church and continued to build upon the skills that make her so proficient at stabilizing the home. Her husband continued his work in I.T. and in 2006 Jan became a licensed real estate agent, which she continues to do today. It seems service, home, and food have been beautifully woven together for Jan. Helping people find their forever home is simply another act of service she provides.
Today, the Dyer nest is empty, aside from their two fur-babies. Jan and Bobby have taken the next step in their life. Amazingly, they found something to do together that utilized both their skill sets and brought them together at the same time: the cooking videos.
“It’s a team effort, just like marriage,” describes Jan. Together with Bobby, they coordinate her videos around the specific meal to be made, and afterwards Bobby takes the time to professionally edit them. Together, from their home to yours, they’re serving up a slice of gold, which seems only natural. Whether a homemaker, realtor, or chef extraordinaire, home is where Jan’s heart has always been.
CLICK HERE FOR JAN’S PEACH COBBLER RECIPE!
Follow Jan’s cooking channel! Find her on Facebook: Jan Bonner Dyer.
