Lynne Manning, who started playing in the kitchen as a child, has become known as a good cook who shares her culinary abilities with others.

“I come from a long line of very good amateur cooks, my mom, grandmother and great- aunt,” Lynne said. “My grandmother did not allow my mom to ‘mess-up’ the kitchen. So Mom resolved she’d let my two sisters and me make whatever messes we wanted to in her kitchen in the name of experimentation and education. She taught us how to whip egg whites and fold into a sauce to make a soufflé. We learned how to bake cakes, pies and yeast bread from scratch.”

Lynne’s parents entertained regularly and that’s when the girls learned a great deal more knowledge on planning meals, cooking, hosting and decorating.

Marriage brought even more knowledge about cooking for Lynne. “My husband, from South Louisiana and Texas, was an excellent self-taught cook. He had a knack for duplicating in the home kitchen the wonderful dishes we would have in restaurants.”...