Having grown up just North of Philadelphia (and having a strong Pennsylvania Dutch component to the family), food is an important part of my family history. This might explain why I've often struggled with staying in shape over the years, but, at the same time, it's part of my family and my cultural identity so it doesn't make sense to ignore it (besides - I really like food).
Please don't take this to mean that food is what shaped my family - it wasn't. It's not the only thing that I remember or miss from growing up - it's actually a small thing, but somehow an important thing. It's a comfort memory. Psychologists have figured out that experiences mean a great deal more to our brains than possessions and while I think the 'big' experiences are certainly recalled easily and will always be important, I think that the small, ever-present, everyday experiences get in there a bit deeper.
That's what food was in my family - an everyday thing that was, during a short period of the day, extremely important. Food made my grandmother and my mother (and the broader community of Sellersville women) very happy. When I was growing up I was surrounded by an entire town of fantastic cooks. Not 'chefs' mind you - cooks. The food wasn't usually overly fancy - it was just fantastic. Community meals in our town would blow you away.
So - as a personal exercise I'm going to start posting recipes that my mother and grandmother collected and made over the years. Some of these came from other family members, some from family friends, some from places that we have stayed over the years. Most of them - well, I have no idea where they originally came from, but they mean something to me and it'll make me happy to see them up on the blog.
If you do stumble across these posts give some of the recipes a try and let me know what you think.
First up - the world's simplest recipe for Pecan Pie (not exactly a PA Dutch staple, but...)
And here's another from the other side of the card (I don't actually know which one my grandmother used to make??):
About Alex Crittenden
My clients tend to be rapidly-growing and forward-thinking organizations that are looking to improve the execution and value of operations and/or sales. They are looking for a partner that has experience and expertise in building those functions and setting up processes to be as effective and efficient as possible.
With experience in building sales programs and operational frameworks - as well as delivering on both, my role is to help clients drive growth through increased sales and the efficient execution of delivering on those sales.
Additional Background:
- Built / Led Operationsat White Oak Security from 2017 to 2023
- Part of executive leadership team
- Built-out PMO, responsible for overall execution of operational team
- Developed (and was responsible for) all company contracts and policies
- Responsible for client legal contract negotiations / review
- Developed overall price modeling methodology
- Developed sales training program & content
- 20+ years of sales experience in both leadership and 'feet on the street' roles
- Value-driven selling
- Strong history of successfully bringing new services and products to existing markets
- History of working with wide range of clients in a variety of industries