Finding Martha's Place
My Journey Through Sin, Salvation, and Lots of Soul Food
-
- $10.99
-
- $10.99
Publisher Description
Welcome to Martha's Place . . .
Martha Hawkins was the tenth of twelve children born in Montgomery, Alabama. There was no money, but her childhood was full of love. Martha's mother could transform a few vegetables from the backyard into a feast and never turned away a hungry mouth.
Memories of the warmth of her family's supper table would remain with Martha. Even as a poor single mother without a high school diploma, Martha dreamed of one day opening a restaurant that would make people feel at home. She'd serve food that would nourish body and soul. But time went by and that dream slipped further and further away as Martha battled the onset of what would later become a severe mental illness.
But the thing about hitting bottom is that there's nowhere to go but up. Martha decided to step into God's promise for her life. Her boundless faith and joy led her to people who would change her world and lend a helping hand when she most needed and least expected one.
Martha's Place is now a nationally known destination for anyone visiting the Deep South and a culinary fixture of life in Montgomery. Martha only hires folks who are down on their luck, just as she once was. High-profile politicians, professional athletes, artists, musicians, and actors visit regularly. Martha has proven many times that keeping the faith makes the difference between failure and success.
This is the story of how Martha finally found her place. . . .
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Owner of Martha's Place, a popular Montgomery, Alabama restaurant, Hawkins chronicles with simple grace the highs and lows of her life so far, revealing the inspiration and motivation behind her self-made success. The tenth of 12 children, Hawkins grew up in mid-century Alabama with little money but lots of love, and a mama who was always cooking: "Give her a pot of peas and a dash of salt and she could make a meal for the entire neighborhood." Heavy on honesty and charming (but clearly written) Southern syntax, Hawkins recalls her scandalous teenage pregnancy ("I was scared to drink water because I was scared I was going to drown the baby"), her marriage and subsequent divorce, the three other boys she bore, her diagnosis with and treatment for depression, and her financial struggles. The brightest passages, however, involve food; Hawkins celebrates her time in the kitchen vividly and with passion to spare: "When you put my lima beans against your lips they feel plump, like you was smooching the back of your baby grandson's knee." Luckily for readers who can't get to Montgomery, Hawkins completes her feel-good memoir with a few of her best-loved recipes.