Southport Magazine

Food can certainly be a love language. Whether try to recreate a loved one’s childhood favorites and dishes we’ve enjoyed together on our travels, or if we pour our hearts and souls into our own recipes that become shared favorites, we can certainly show our love in the kitchen. For someone who has had a love of food running as a thread through her entire life, the language of cooking is a natural way to express love especially in the toughest times. 

The Flavors of La Polena, full of recipes from Innkeeper/Owner Suzanne Foster, is a dedication to her husband Jeff (she calls him JD) as he begins his second fight against cancer. 

“During the process of finding an editor, JD was diagnosed with cancer a second time. He was just beginning to taste again! During one of our intimate talks, I asked JD what he wanted from me. His wish was that I continue to run the Inn. ‘It’s your dream!’ He said. His second request was  to be his support. JD has always loved my cooking. His daily texts, ‘what’s for breakfast?’ tell me he’s having a good day. It just seemed natural to dedicate this book to him,” Suzanne said. 

Of course Jeff’s favorite, Stuffed French Toast, is included, but you won’t find it in the “Breakfast” section. There is no “Breakfast” section. This cookbook is organized by season, an idea that came to Suzanne in the garden.

“I first started thinking of a cookbook when I built my herb garden. My first COVID project while the Inn was closed. Like the herbs, the Seasons dictate what is fresh,” she said. The book’s dedication explains, “In this cookbook I chose Seasons at they relate to our Inn and the flow of guests. The seasons dictate the fresh ingredients used and as the verse says, there is a Season for Everything and a Time for every matter under the Heavens.”

The book was also a product of guest demand, something Suzanne can certainly identify with. “When JD and I met, we enjoyed trying new restaurants of all ethnic types. In our travels we have always searched out the local faire found on the back roads. This is where you get to meet the owner and locals, learning the story behind a favorite recipe,” her dedication explains.”The same holds true at LaPolena. Our guests have frequently asked for recipes of their favorites so I started adding a recipe to our newsletter each month.” Those newsletter recipes, and more, have found their way into this new cookbook.

Food has been a thread throughout Suzanne’s life from her earliest days. “My father worked at Kellogg’s in Battle Creek and I grew up on cereal, which is why I won’t eat it today!” she said. Later, while working in real estate in Oregon, Suzanne founded a food-based charity.

“In 2006, I was the creator and Director of The Table, a restaurant and grocery store in a suburb of Portland, Oregon,” she said. “Our primary donor was Whole Foods. This was my calling after being the Director of the Meals Ministry at our church for ten years. When I departed, there were over 150 volunteers and the County was using The Table in their Community Work Release program. I understand it is still in operation today under a different name.”

Suzanne and Jeff left Portland for Southport in 2018, opening the La Polena bed and breakfast in October of that year. “The day after we arrived in Southport, we had our first guests; contractors cleaning up Hurricane Florence,” she said. 

Since then, Suzanne has been serving up a two or three course breakfast and evening dessert to all her guests, so she had plenty to choose from for her cookbook. “All the recipes are favorites I have used over the years. Many have been created for LaPolena,” she said. “The difficulty is writing them down since I have them in my head and I don’t measure when cooking.”

Suzanne sought help with putting the cookbook together, and says she was incredibly fortunate to find the perfect editor. “The cookbook’s Editor is Amelia Collins from Leland,” she said. “I had 26 applicants and narrowed it down to three. Amelia had a dozen recipes pulled from my newsletter and already created the beginnings of my cookbook accompanying her application. She’s a self starter and so creative. I liked how she had my vibe implemented in a book before we ever met.”

But the mechanics of book writing and publishing weren’t the only hurdle Suzanne had to cross. “As a very private person, I was reluctant to share recipes and share JD’s story,” she said. “Realizing that it’s his story and his choice to share was most difficult for me to accept. Once I began answering friends’ ‘how are you doing?’ with an honest answer, I realized this is a small community who embraces. We are not different. We are just like your family.”

Suzanne is inviting that community family to a VIP launch of her cookbook on Wednesday, February 10 from 5-7 pm. The event will raise funds for Jeff’s medical bills and cancer research. “I have asked a few talented local chefs to prepare and feature some of my recipes during our event.  Videos will be streaming to see how they are made as you taste the many flavors of the evening,” she said. Dress is cocktail attire and guitarist Galen Hunsucker will provide entertainment. 

Also from Suzanne’s dedication, “….February may be Valentines, but it is also JD’s birthday. I am thankful to celebrate another birthday with my Valentine. May you continue to enjoy my cooking JD, because I pray you will join me at the breakfast table for many years to come….”