Savoring a new season: Elizabeth Weaver follows her passion

When Elizabeth Hodges Weaver retired, she pursued her enthusiasm for cooking through a new career in the food industry. The Marietta native is the owner and chef of Elizabeth’s Edible Personal Chef Services.

Weaver retired as the Cobb County Director of Cultural Affairs in 2015. “While I was there, cooking was my fun and stress reliever. My staff joked with me that they would stress me out on purpose, so I’d go home and cook,” Weaver said.

“I never stress in the kitchen. It’s my happy place,” said Weaver, who is married to Richard Weaver. Collectively, they have four grown children and four grandchildren.

Over the years, Weaver cooked for work events and helped friends with parties. Before retiring from the County, she attended culinary school for training as a personal chef. She has worked as a personal chef for nine years.

“I’m truly concerned about cooking what you want to eat. If you hate mushrooms, I don’t cook mushrooms. That’s a big part of who I am. Cooking what you want or what you need to eat,” Weaver said.

Weaver, a self-taught cook, began cooking at an early age. “I started cooking diligently when I was 13. I am the oldest child of 5 children. Children-wise, we span 20 years from top to bottom,” Weaver said.

Weaver’s mother would assign her a night of the week to cook along with a budget. “I learned very early how to budget. If I wanted an expensive meal this week, I had to budget. I would either go to the grocery store with (my mom) or send a shopping list,” Weaver said.

Family members influenced Weaver. “I grew up with some of the most amazing men and women cooks around me. My grandmothers were great cooks, bakers. My dad was a great cook. I just had it around me all the time. I love to read cookbooks like novels. It’s always been something I enjoyed,” Weaver said.

Cooking is a form of art for Weaver. “(Cooking) stems from my love of theatre. I love to direct. I love the applause of the end of the show. When someone sits down to eat food that you’ve created, and it’s silent. I know it’s the exact opposite of applause, but it’s food applause. I love that they’re comforted by food. That they’re nourished by food. Or maybe it relieved stress. In the end, it’s comfort and happiness to people. Who doesn’t enjoy that,” Weaver said.

In addition to being a personal chef, Weaver teaches at the Cook’s Warehouse and other venues, caters, and cooks for a food ministry at her church.

She has authored a cookbook, Generations of Edibles: A Southern Legacy, filled with family recipes that shaped her life. Cookbook available on Amazon and stores around the Marietta Square.

Learn more at https://www.myelizabethsedibles.com/.

Headshot by Katie Rambo Eaker

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