CityView Magazine

Parker prepares and serves a meal for a recent dinner party at the Wilson home. But for other clients, Parker is something of a kitchen genie. The only clue that she’s been there are the meals neatly packaged in the freezer. She has recently begun offering cooking get togethers where friends assemble ready-to-eat meals. It’s a way to socialize and get a jumpstart on the week’s dinners. five hours including the cooking, cool- ing down, placing in appropriate con- tainers and labeling. She then slides the meals in the freezer or fridge, cleans up, repacks, and she’s off. Parker is petite, energetic and as comfortable going cordon bleu as she is turning a rack of ribs on the grill. She and her husband arrived in Fayette- ville in 1992. Since then, he has retired from the military, and they’ve added a son, Nicholas, to their family. Parker has worked as a legal secretary, medi- cal transcriptionist and even spent time in commercial real estate. But it is food and cooking that inspires her. “I am a very driven personal chef,” she says, “but I am not just a personal chef. I am here to help people.” When a Fayetteville woman and her winning smiles. A colorful display of tomatoes, peppers and herbs from Parker’s personal garden spilled across the Wilsons’ kitchen counters. Standing by the range, stirring a simmering pan, Parker kept an eye on the grill outside, where spareribs were sending forth a smoky sweet aroma. 46 | Food & Wine • 2008 Wilson would shepherd this meal from start to finish, market to table. But for other clients, Parker is something of a kitchen genie. The only clue that she’s been there are the meals lined up in the freezer, available for whenever the mood strikes. Parker can complete a minimum of seven dishes in four to family wanted a special meal for her parents’ 50th wedding anniversary, Parker stepped in. She was called upon to prepare a celebratory family dinner that included dishes from the many locales the couple had lived in during the husband’s international Red Cross career. From the tasty sushi appetizers (for Japan) through a juicy and tender leg of lamb (for England) and up to the cherry pie (for Michigan) dessert, the extended family enjoyed a memorable anniversary dinner. Thanks to Parker, the couple’s daughter was free to spend time with her parents, spared from the supermarket or a hot stove. And here’s betting dinner never smelled so good.CV

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