Trisha Yearwood’s Emotional About Celebrity Chef Success: ‘Everything I Learned About Cooking Was From My Mom’

After over 20 years as one country music’s top stars, Trisha Yearwood forged a new career path. She helmed her own Food Network series, Trisha’s Southern Kitchen, beginning in 2012. Yearwood grew up watching her father Jack and mother Gwen‘s dedication to family and food. While many of Jack’s recipes were legendary, Yearwood cites her mom as the person from whom she learned the most about cooking.

Yearwood’s first cookbook was supposed to be a memoir

After a successful career as a country music singer, publishers approached Yearwood to encourage her to pen a memoir.

However, the idea of a memoir didn’t thrill Yearwood.

“I was like, ‘Well, I like to cook,'” she remembered.

“Georgia Cooking in an Oklahoma Kitchen” came out of that conversation. Both Yearwood’s mom and sister Beth both contributed to this book.

Mom Gwen Yearwood was the person from whom Trisha learned the most about cooking

Yearwood told Better Homes and Gardens Magazine there was a joy in recreating Gwen’s recipes, as reported by PR Newswire. 

“There is joy in making a recipe of my mom’s, and it tastes like hers,” Yearwood admits. 

Another thing Yearwood shared: “I learned everything I know about cooking from my mom. She was the most amazing cook and kind of an intuitive cook,” the country singer turned Food Network superstar revealed. 

“She also taught me to enjoy it and to not stress over it; I’ve always enjoyed cooking, and I think I got that from her,” Yearwood concluded.

Trisha Yearwood grew up in a house of cooks, but her mom Gwen influenced her the most

Yearwood grew up with her sister Beth on a farm in Monticello, Georgia.

Before setting out on her own, Yearwood was unfamiliar with kitchen shortcuts, such as canned items.

“The first time I had a vegetable out of a can, I called home and was like, ‘What is happening?'” Yearwood laughed, as reported by Delish.

However, upon moving to Nashville, Yearwood relied on her parent’s recipes to give her a taste of home.

Moreover, Yearwood uses Trisha’s Southern Kitchen to honor her family.

Specifically, “We make their recipes, tell their stories, and keep them alive,” Yearwood said.

Trisha’s Southern Kitchen airs Sundays at noon on The Food Network.