HI!
I’m Wendi Spraker and this is Loaves and Dishes. Unapologetic Southern Comfort Food and the way to make it is what you will find here.
Additionally, if you know NOTHING about cooking, this is a great place to start! I show you how to do basic things in the kitchen (like how to freeze pizza) and how to make just about any canned food taste like homemade! (How to Cook Canned Pinto Beans).
I believe in the power of food. My recipes are REAL and have passion, flavor and love and I’ll show you how to get the same results. This food will take you home!
I invite you to my table to nourish both your body and soul.
This website started as a passionate hobby in 2014 and has turned into so much more.
I’ve been mastering southern comfort food recipes and cooking techniques for over 35 years. Now, through this website, I’m sharing what I’ve learned with you!
- I want YOU to feel the pride of making REAL TASTY food!
- I want YOU to hear shouts of "MORE MORE MORE!!!" (Forks banging on the table. Hungry look in their eyes.)
I want YOU to be a KITCHEN ROCKSTAR!!
Loaves and Dishes has seen in:
Who is Wendi Spraker?
I am Amazon International Best Selling Author, Website Owner and Author, Podcaster, Food Writer and Columnist and Founder/Director of the Taste of Stokes Experience with the Stokes County Arts Council.
It's kind of crazy, but I own two businesses under the Loaves and Dishes umbrella. For fun and purpose, I volunteer in the community to support important causes like the local "no kill shelter" and other animal rescues. For the past 15 plus years, I've invested in my community by serving as a Town Councilman in Danbury, NC.
Ever since childhood, I've been obsessed with cooking and studied my father, aunts, grandmother and anyone else who would allow me to hang around their legs in the kitchen. I grew up enjoying the home cooked tastes of the deep south under the tutelage of those great cooks.
And so, the main goal of this website is to help others learn great flavors, good cooking and how to get the most out of the foods they prepare, even if you are a beginner or a life long fooditarian so that you can make recipes that everyone enjoys!
Learning has been the focus and foundation of my life and she has sought out education at every turn. Professionally, I am a Registered Nurse with 30 years of experience and am also a food writer and author. I have served on the Board of the International Food Blogger's Conference from 2017-2020, moderated a panel for the Creative Food Blogging Income Panel at the 2018 International Food Bloggers Conference. I've been featured in CEO Blog Nation (Number 23) and on Podcasts like "BFF with the Chef" and Dorks with Sporks".
As a business leader in the food blogging world, I've been featured in Niche Pursuits as a Success Story and on Yahoo! News! and on Founder's Report!
The The Pioneer Woman, WikiHow and The Kitchn and MORE have linked to and used my photos and recipes in their own stories!
I write a biweekly Food article in The Stokes News.
In addition, I co-authored an international best selling book in support of women looking to live their dreams, "Aspire" which can be found on Amazon through the link in the right column of this page.
If you would like to learn more about working for Loaves and Dishes, learn about our editorial policy or about our processes and how we fact check what is in our articles, I invite you to learn more at these links.
Come Visit me on Facebook, Instagram, X (Twitter), LinkedIn and YouTube. I can't wait to talk to you! Just let me know you are there!
Wendi's Background
I attended Maryville College and earned a Bachelors in Biology. Then, I attended Tennessee State University (an HBCU) and earned an Associates in Nursing. Walden University's Bridge to a Master's in Nursing was the next step where I earned a Masters in Nursing Leadership.
For many years, I held a Case Management Certification in nursing. During my nursing career, I worked in home health, pediatric high risk home health management, hospice management and insurance case management.
Cooking has always been my number one love (because she loves to eat!).
The Team at Loaves and Dishes
The best news? I now work on this website with my daughter, Sarah Blackwell, an amazing and talented chef as well!
Sarah has worked in some of the finest kitchens across Southeast including Frog's Leap Public House where she was the brick oven and front end chef and Brio Italian Grill at the Cherokee Casino where she wowed guests at the front cooking area and brick oven.
Sarah holds a Bachelors of Music in Flute Performance and she holds a Bachelors in Education from University of North Carolina at Greensboro and this is why she is so talented running all of our social media and our YouTube channel!
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