Webb enjoys cooking variety of food

Susan Webb spends a lot of her free time taking food orders from her friends and family and loves it when people enjoy her dishes. 

“Knowing that people enjoy what I make is what I like most about cooking,” Webb said. “I love that people reach out to me and most of them will order again.” 

Webb was born in New Orleans but moved to Philadelphia when she was 8 years old. She retired from Thomas and Company around six years ago, and in her retirement she enjoys cooking, spending time with her husband Randy, her children, Melanie and Jason, and her seven grandchildren. 

“I have a lot of hobbies, but cooking is the number one thing that I love,” Webb said. “I’ve cooked all my life, but I discovered recently that cooking is a lot easier and enjoyable if you have time to cook, and when you don’t work anymore you have time to do it. After I retired I realized I needed something to keep myself busy.”

Webb credits the seafood influence in her cooking to her mother, Thelma Guthans, and her Southern food influence to her mother-in-law, Peggy Webb. 

“I began cooking for my family and friends, but then the news if my cooking spread,” Webb said. “I really got into it last July at the Neshoba County Fair, and it’s taken off since then.” 

Webb cooks all of her food from home and said she makes any kind of dish under the sun that people request. 

“I make cakes, candy, all kinds of casseroles, dips, cheese balls, soup, gumbo, chicken salad, you name it,” Webb said. “I make anything people ask for.” 

Outside of cooking, Webb is an active member at Trinity Baptist Church and enjoys being involved there. She also likes to travel with her family and has a big bucket list of places to go. 

SEAFOOD GUMBO

2 lbs. okra (fresh or frozen) 

2 large onions, chopped 

1 cup bell pepper, chopped 

2 large cans diced tomatoes 

4 cloves garlic, minced 

4 small cans tomato sauce 

3 lbs. peeled shrimp (raw) 

1 cup ham 

1 cup celery 

2 tbsps. Salt 

3 quarts boiling water 

Black pepper to taste 

2 tbsps file powder 

Brown okra in a large pot in a small amount of cooking oil. Add ham and cook for around five minutes, and add onion, garlic, green bell pepper and celery. Cook until the onion is tender. 

Add tomatoes, sauce, salt and pepper, and stir until mixed. Pour boiling water and let it boil for around five minutes. Add shrimp and crab meat. Reduce heart and let cook slowly for one hour. 

Add file powder, and let cool until liquid thickens. Serve hot over rice. 

OYSTER DRESSING 

2 1/2 lbs. ground beef 

2 1/2 lbs. ground chuck 

2 medium onions 

1/2 cup chopped celery 

1/2 cup chopped green pepper 

3 cloves garlic (minced) 

2 quarts oyster (drained and cut into smaller pieces) 

Approximately 4 cups stale French bread (add milk and knead until mushy) 

Salt and pepper 

2 cans black olives (optional) 

2 cans green olives (optional) 

Bread crumbs 

Brown ground meat in a large dutch oven. Add onion, celery, bell pepper and garlic. Cook until the onion is tender. 

Add oysters, reduce heat and cook for around 15 minutes. Add bread to the mixture. Cook long enough to thoroughly mix, and move mixture into baking pans. 

Lightly sprinkle bread crumbs over the top to absorb grease. Bake at 400 degrees until brown for approximately one hour. 

CORNBREAD SALAD 

1 cup green onion, chopped 

1 cup bell pepper, chopped 

1 ripe tomato, chopped 

1 can whole kernel corn, drained

8 slices bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled up 

1 cup mayonnaise 

1 8-inch skillet of cornbread 

Chop onions and bell pepper. Drain corn and mix with the cornbread. Put corn bread, tomatoes and bacon in a large bowl. Mix well and add tomatoes and mayonnaise. Pour into a bowl and seal with a lid to save for later consumption.