What makes this Appalachian Boy?
Hi,
I'm Jimmy Proffitt. I was born in the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia, in Shenandoah County. I am the youngest of four boys.
I don't even remember when I began writing or when I began cooking. I know when both really became a part of who I am, and that was about the age of 15.
I began working after school and had to be at work by 5 pm. I’d get home from school, which was then by school bus, about 3:30 pm, and my dad would get home about an hour later. But, mom didn’t get home until after I had to be at work. So I began to cook supper each night, go to work, and mom would clean up. She really didn't enjoy cooking that much, but she did like to clean, so it worked out for both of us.
When I was a sophomore I applied to be on the yearbook staff. I submitted a story I had written for English class. That paper was called "Goodbye Tina", and it was about a dad who kept an eye on his daughter from afar, without her knowing it. That got me a spot on the staff and it wasn’t until years later that I realized I had been assigned the only section with writing beyond captions of pictures. I wrote the news for that year. I kind of thought of it as a reporter assignment and didn't really appreciate it as much as I should have. But, right then and there I become a published writer. It only took me 25 years to get back to it and start The Appalachian Tale.
For the last few years I’ve been a freelance writer and have written numerous articles for Okra Magazine, a print magazine dedicated to life in the South. I’ve written about cookbook writers past and present, food memories where I’ve also gotten to share my recipes, and about people and places that are special to me. I have also written for online magazines and other sites, and also wrote for Southern Cast Iron Magazine and share one of my favorite Fall recipes that I developed.
I hope you like what you read. I love the combination of cooking and creating new recipes, and sharing them with others. Not everything comes out as planned. I will share the good and the bad. I just hope there's less of the latter.
You can also follow me on social on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube. I post mostly on Instagram. I would appreciate it so much if you liked, commented, and shared anything and everything. Let me know what you like and don't like. Let me know if you've tried a recipe and how it came out. I am not a classically trained chef, but a passionate self-taught chef and foodie who uses food to connect to my past and to people.
I also give back when and where I can. Mostly that comes in the form of helping animals. I also own The Appalachian Tail, which is my animal page here on my site. I will share all the shenanigans with our own menagerie, as well as fundraising efforts, animal rescue efforts, and some pet-inspired recipes from time to time.
I am married to an incredible man, Mick, and we have 4 dogs, 5 cats, and help take care of 2 community cats whose owner passed away. My parents are gone, but my in-laws fill in the gap and are a great source of amusement most of the time. It is the family I spend holidays with and special occasions. I have incredible friends and co-workers (in my day job) who support me, let me experiment on them with new recipes, and hopefully find me a great source of amusement most of the time! For my day job, I am a Marketing Brand Manager and Historian for The Old Mill in Pigeon Forge, TN, where I have worked for the past 27 years. I started as a part-time server and took opportunities to grow and the company has given me more opportunities to grow than I can count. They are a great supporter of me and what I do here and I could not be more grateful.
I am open to collaborations with companies and other content creators, just send me an email to the link below. I don’t endorse or promote anything I don’t believe in or have not used myself.