“I think of it as ministry cooking,” explained Mathews native Stella Breckenridge. “It’s not a job; it’s a pleasure.” Stella bakes cookies, cakes, pies and brownies for family and friends and enjoys everything about it. “I cook to relax.”

Stella grew up in a home of five girls and one boy. “We, the girls and I, were always in the kitchen with Mama. I attribute my love for cooking to her. Now, we never saw my brother in the kitchen except to eat. Mama told us we should always know how to cook. Now if we married a man who liked to cook, that was a plus. But don’t count on that.”

Having retired a couple of years ago and not wanting to miss out on seeing people every day, Stella is now working at Best Value Supermarket in the deli three days a week. “I’m doing what I love. I’m cooking.” Even on working days, when arriving home a little tired, she goes straight to the kitchen. “My daughter is a...