Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings’ “Cross Creek Cookery” Turns 80: Reflections from Food Writer Jeff Houck

Majorie Kinnan Rawlings’ memoir Cross Creek reads like a time capsule of life in rural Florida. Published in 1942, the book became an instant classic for its descriptions of natural beauty, farm life and 1930s race relations in the hamlet of Cross Creek, located between Gainesville and Ocala. Much of the book centered around food, so a natural follow-up that same year was Cross Creek Cookery.  To mark the cookbook’s 80th anniversary, food journalist Jeff Houck wrote about Cross Creek Cookery for the summer 2022 issue of Edible Tampa Bay. He recently visited our Tampa studio to offer his reflections.Related interviews: Zora Neale Hurston’s Foodie Life James Weldon Johnson’s Foodie Life Grits, Gravy and Pie: Florida Cracker Cooking Singing Praises for Neighborhood Stores