Get to Know: Mary Parker

A plate of freshly sliced tomatoes from the garden with a little salt and pepper were a staple at lunchtime for me growing up.  This may not be every child’s favorite dish, but it will always remind me of my childhood.  Every summer, I helped my grandfather plant his garden and then helped pick the fresh vegetables off the vines once ripe.  I would take the tomatoes, corn, squash, and cucumbers inside where Bebe (my grandmother) and great grandmother would prepare them for lunch; I was always eager to help.  I was blessed that I grew up where I had the opportunity to see where food came from and how to prepare it with minimal processing in order to preserve the true flavor of the food.  Little did I know, I was beginning to establish the foundational elements for my future career while picking figs and learning how to properly make a biscuit.  These memories will always be with me and continue to ground me as an individual.

Mary Parker and Great Grandmother in the kitchen.

Over the years, I began to take what I learned while watching my grandmother cook and put those methods into action.  I remember standing in my kitchen as a child (let me preface I was an only child –so I had to learn to entertain myself at times) and have “cooking shows” – pretending I was the next Ina Garten making one of my specialty recipes,  a pecan pie.  As I have grown older, one of my favorite things to do is have friends over and prepare a meal for the group, forcing everyone to sit, relax and visit while I take care of the meal even though my friends are more than willing to lend a hand.  The kitchen brings people together in many ways.

I had an interest in nutrition at an early age, but I did not know that I wanted to make a career out of it until my freshman year in college when my mother was diagnosed with thyroid cancer.   No one wants to hear this news, and on top of that, I was away at college, unable to be there for her initial treatment.  Over the course of the next two summers, my mom followed a special diet in order to prepare her body for treatment.   My mom was unable to have salt or foods containing iodine, which really limits ones’ options (think no seafood, no dairy, no salt processed foods –things got pretty bland around the house).  I was at home during those summers taking classes, so I took it upon myself to help plan her meals.  This challenged me to think outside of what foods I would typically consume and how I would traditionally prepare meals while making sure they were nutritious and tasty. I began to see and understand how nutrition can treat and heal the body.  I am happy to say that my mom had her 8 year check-up this past September and continues to do great today; she is cancer free!  Although her illness was something I would not wish upon anyone, it caused me to realize what I wanted to focus my career on –nutrition, a topic that I am passionate about.  I wanted to educate and care for people by demonstrating that making changes, even small ones, can be life altering.

Over the years, I have realized that nutrition plays a different role in each person’s life, but my various past experiences lead me to develop this central philosophy about nutrition; smaller, more realistic changes are the sustainable ones that can last a lifetime and make the biggest difference overall.