“My love for cooking started late in life,” said Nichole Wenner, who has lived in Mathews all her life. “I started baking, honestly, as young as I can remember. Baking was my first love and it is still my favorite thing to do.”

Nichole confesses that her baking usually began with something chocolate from a box mix, or “I would get to help my mom make cookies from scratch.” However Nichole says she never really had an interest in cooking until the end of her high school years and following graduation. “That’s when I started baking from scratch and collecting recipes from family members.”

Learning how to cook mostly on her own, as she likes to figure things out for herself, Nichole found she could use some help. Her mom, Christine Dehnert-Fernald, and her stepmom, Denise Tyler, got her started with recipes and techniques. “They are always great to call on for help. Both are great cooks. My stepmom passed me down some of my best recipes. My mom makes the best spaghetti among some o...