A winning recipe

Residents at one Illinois retirement community were in for a finger-licking treat this week: smoked pork chops on potato apple bed.

The recipe comes courtesy of Lakewood Village resident Madge Waltrip.

It’s been years since Waltrip, 94, has been able to cook, but back in the day she was an award-winning chef. Waltrip entered her pork chops and snagged first place with the Charleston Times-Courier in 1989. Waltrip concocted several homemade recipes to enter a cooking contest organized by the Charleston Daily Times newspaper—and won. Waltrip’s daughter, Sherri Kamp, said her mom earned about a dozen awards for her recipes.

Waltrip was reminded of her culinary expertise when a friend sent a newspaper clipping of Waltrip’s pork chop recipe. It also got the staff members’ mouths watering.

Waltrip gave the recipe, along with some instructions, to the dietary manager. She says it was exciting to smell the dish as it came out of the oven.

"It was delicious," Waltrip says to Journal Gazette and Times-Courier.

Click here for the recipe. 

Nicole Stempak

Nicole was Senior Editor at I Advance Senior Care and Long Term Living Magazine 2015-2017. She has a Journalism degree from Kent State University and is finalizing a master’s degree in Information Architecture and Management. She has extensive studies in the digital user experience and in branding online media. She has worked as an editor and writer for various B2B publications, including Business Finance.