The Director of Student Life at The University of Austin (UATX) recently sent me the loveliest invitation—to visit with their students and teach a class on how to make traditional foods. As it turns out, one of the students who follows me on YouTube had kindly suggested that the school reach out to me. Isn’t that the sweetest thing?
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Table of Contents
- Welcoming Students Into the World of Traditional Cooking
- A Feast of Learning, Tasting, and Unexpected Delights
- Inspired by the Next Generation
- The Modern Pioneer Cookbook
- The Modern Pioneer Pantry
- Download Your Free 36-Page Pantry List
- Join the Traditional Foods Kitchen Academy
- Kitchen Academy Videos
- Shop for My Favorite Items
Welcoming Students Into the World of Traditional Cooking
Well, I can tell you this: the students stole my heart. There were twenty in all, seventeen freshman boys and three freshman girls, and every single one of them arrived ready to learn, ready to cook, and ready to have fun. And how cute is this? Not a phone in sight! They were fully engaged the entire time, and it made teaching such a joy.
We cooked a simple but nourishing menu—roast chicken, chicken bone broth, and fermented carrots. I showed them how easy it is to spatchcock a chicken as a technique to get a raw chicken to cook quickly, and how to save your chicken carcass and vegetable scraps to make chicken bone broth. I also demonstrated how to get started fermenting with sliced carrots.
A Feast of Learning, Tasting, and Unexpected Delights
The moment that roast chicken came out of the oven, those dear students practically inhaled it, and the warm bone broth disappeared just as quickly. Seeing them enjoy wholesome, traditional food with such genuine enthusiasm filled me with the greatest happiness. There were smiles everywhere I looked!
As a little surprise, the UATX Director of Student Life gave each student their own copy of The Modern Pioneer Cookbook, which they jokingly called their “textbook.” Their excitement over the book warmed my heart. And because I always love sending guests home with something special, I brought jars of my homemade herb salt to give as “party gifts.” You would have thought I had handed them treasure—those jars were received with such delight!
Inspired by the Next Generation
These young people pursuing their degrees at the University of Austin were remarkable—kind, gracious, attentive, and welcoming from start to finish. Spending time with them gave me such hope for the future, and I left the campus feeling inspired and grateful. I can’t wait for the chance to teach another class on traditional foods. What a blessing it was to be with them!
Order YOUR COPY Now!
The Modern Pioneer Cookbook
Seasonal ingredients, traditional techniques, and nourishing recipes. Over 85 traditional, from-scratch recipes! Discover for yourself how you can use simple ingredients and traditional techniques to cook the modern pioneer way.
Order YOUR COPY Now!
The Modern Pioneer Pantry
Simple ingredients, timeless techniques, and a well-stocked pantry. Discover over 100 nourishing recipes to preserve food and turn pantry staples into homemade meals. Build a wholesome, traditional pantry—just like a modern pioneer!
Start Your Traditional Foods Journey
Sharing my passion for traditional cooking goes beyond my YouTube cooking school—it also comes to life in the pages of my cookbooks. Both of my books, The Modern Pioneer Cookbook and The Modern Pioneer Pantry, are proudly published by Penguin Random House.
The first is filled with time-honored recipes to help you create a traditional foods kitchen, while the second is your complete guide to home food preservation. Order both books today to start or continue your traditional foods journey.
Download Your Free 36-Page Pantry List
For an extensive list of the traditional foods you can make and purchase to stock your pantry, be sure to download my free 36-page Traditional Foods Pantry List. This comprehensive eBook is full of links to recipe videos, helpful articles, and more!
Join the Traditional Foods Kitchen Academy
Are you looking for more traditional foods videos? If so, I invite you to join the Traditional Foods Kitchen Academy. Members of this optional paid YouTube community get access to exclusive videos and other members-only perks. Plus, your YouTube comments include a special members-only badge.
Kitchen Academy Videos
How to Make Oatmeal Higher in Protein (The Old-Fashioned Way)
Turn simple oats into a hearty, protein-rich porridge.
The Only Traditional Recipes You’ll Ever Need!
Focus on traditional recipes with real food. Don’t chase trends.
Let’s Talk Akkermansia: A Tiny Helper for Big Gut Health
Discover how Akkermansia muciniphila supports gut and immune health—and how traditional foods help this mighty microbe thrive.
Stay in Touch with Mary’s Nest
- Subscribe to My YouTube Channel for Traditional Foods Videos (Free) - When you subscribe, be sure to click on the notification bell that will let you know each time I upload a new video.
- Subscribe to Mary’s Traditional Foods Newsletter (Free) - Get a free 36-page eBook for signing up: How to Stock Your Essential Traditional Foods Four-Corners Pantry.
- Join the Traditional Foods Kitchen Academy - For more detailed videos and exclusive members-only perks, join my YouTube membership community.
- Order The Modern Pioneer Cookbook - Get a hardcover book of Mary's nourishing recipes from a Traditional Foods Kitchen. This bestselling cookbook is published by Penguin Random House with their DK imprint.
- Order The Modern Pioneer Pantry - Get Mary's latest hardcover cookbook about preserving food and making delicious meals from your Four Corners Pantry. Mary's second cookbook is also published by Penguin Random House.
I look forward to having you join me in my Texas Hill Country Kitchen!
Shop for My Favorite Items
Favorite Kitchen Supplies
- Favorite Aprons
- Spice Grinder
- Countertop Burner (On my kitchen island in many recipe videos.)
- Handheld Vacuum Sealing System
- Vacuum Lids
- Whisk
- Silica Gel Packets (Helps keep moisture from building up in your mix)
- Cast Iron Dutch Oven
- 8-Quart Slow-Cooker
- Fat Separator (Clever kitchen device to help you decant bone broth)
- Flour Sack Towels
- pH Strips (Helps you check on the acidity of your vinegar)
Amazon Shop and Shopping Guide
- Visit Mary’s Nest Amazon Shop
- Get a 30-day Audible trial with a free audiobook
- Visit my Shopping Guide page
Get up to 15% off for stocking your Traditional Foods Pantry and equipping your Modern Pioneer Kitchen, including discounts from US Wellness Meats, Farmhouse Teas, Backwoods Home, Masontops, Cultures for Health, Survival Garden Seeds, Redmond Real Salt, and More!
