Spring Council, Project Manager at Chapel Hill’s famed Mama Dip’s Kitchen, began her career there at the age of 18. Spring calls her late mother, Mildred, who founded Mama Dip’s in 1976, her inspiration, mentor and coach. Three generations of the family - Mildred's children, grandchildren and great grandchildren - now work at Mama Dip’s, known for its traditional Southern cooking.

Spring learned from Mildred to achieve culinary excellence using the “dump” method, not measuring every ingredient but tasting and smelling a dish as it is prepared. She now oversees Mama Dip’s business outreach outside of the kitchen, and loves to cook and entertain outside of work. She remembers how her love of entertaining started at the age of 6, “… the first time I sat down and read the book, “Go Dog Go” by Dr. Seuss." Spring wrote recently, " At the end of the book, there is a dog party. I would marvel at the cheerful party with horns blowing, dogs dancing, food displaying, and confetti flying! I get the same feeling of enthusiasm when I am preparing for a party to entertain my family and friends.” Another favorite pastime is cruising thrift shops and estate sales for vintage and modern tablewares.

Nancie McDermott is a cake historian and a specialist in Asian and American Southern cuisines, two seemingly disparate flavors. A native of the Piedmont area, she fell in love with cooking in her grandmother’s dairy farm kitchen. Later, three years as a Peace Corp volunteer in Thailand cultivated Nancie’s lifelong love for Asian food, history and culture.

Now the author of 14 cookbooks, Nancie loves to research traditional food in its cultural context and is an avid self-proclaimed cooking teacher. She serves as a contributing editor for Edible Piedmont magazine, and has written for magazines including Edible Piedmont, Fine Cooking, Our State and Taste of the South. Nancie shares her stories and recipes on the Nancie’s Table blog at nanciemcdermott.com