Wonderfully Redirected

It's been over 5 years since I first came up with the idea for this site. As a twenty-something recent graduate, living in a college town I was still figuring a lot of things out: what I wanted to do, what I wanted to be and what was I truly passionate about. One of the few things I had figured out at that time was that I loved food! I loved cooking, I loved experimenting in the kitchen, and the people I was cooking for really seemed to love it too.

Many of my friends and family encouraged me to do more with my passion, like start a business or a blog, or just something. And thus, The Carolina Cookery was born. My little food ...something.

...But what was it? Was it a cooking blog with food and recipes, a how-to guide for other cooks, a collection of restaurant reviews ???

I didn't know.

About this (and so many other things) I was unsure... and as is often the case with unsure things, The Carolina Cookery fell by the wayside. Taking a backseat to my education, career changes, relocation and a new business venture while I tried to figure things out, and figure out what it should be.

Weeks passed, months went by, over time I'd stopped checking the email address I'd associated with the site. I missed the reminder about my annual payment and the expired card I had on file. Had you tried to visit this site in the last few months or even the last few days (like I did) you would have found yourself being redirected to page offering advertising website building software.

Redirected.

Here I sit, 3 jobs, 2 cities, and five years removed from the where I was when this all began, staring at a screen and thinking "Yes, I have been 'redirected' indeed." My life has gone in a direction that I couldn't have imagined at the time. I have been wonderfully redirected.

I'm back in my hometown of Charleston, South Carolina living just minutes away from my childhood home. My aunt and I have converted my grandparents' home in to vacation rentals which I manage and last year I purchased my own home. I spend a lot more time on design and decor, than I ever thought possible and I've found out that I've got a pretty good eye for it. After several renovation and remodeling projects at the rentals and my own home, I've found that I've got quite a knack for that too. With hundreds of guests each year, and several properties under my management Hostess has become a title that I happily embrace. I still love food, and cooking but there's more to my life now that I love just as much.

So as I put away my credit card, having just re-purchased my domain name, I have a renewed vision for The Carolina Cookery. Winifred G. Cheney put it best when she said, "There is a southern way of life and it begins with hospitality and a proper emphasis on good cooking" and I can think of no better way to describe this new direction for The Carolina Cookery.

Hospitality, home design, and a 'proper emphasis on good cooking' are the things I want to share all of you. I'll be staying true to my southern roots, because as a Geechee girl from James Island, I don't know any other way to be. My taste may have refined a bit, but my budget still keeps me humble. My life, and this site have been wonderfully redirected and I'm looking forward to seeing where this road leads.

I hope you'll join me along the way.

Sincerely,

Rashaunda Grant,

Your Happy Hostess