Check Out Mrs. Katie of Heritage Ways’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Mrs. Katie of Heritage Ways. 

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I have been calling the kitchen my home since I began standing on a stool as a five-year-old in my Mama’s kitchen over 50 years ago. It was in our 1830s southern middle Tennessee farmhouse that I learned to neatly place the homegrown broccoli stalks in bags and then into those little white boxes for the freezer. Through the years, I have enjoyed preparing homemade meals for my family and literally hundreds of folks who have walked through my screen door… Using knowledge gathered from the community “elders” and experienced family members, I am grateful to use and appreciate a stocked larder (pantry) but can manage a down-home meal when the cupboards are lacking. Preserving food through dehydrating, canning and freezing are my favorite ways of “putting by”. Most recently I am finding folks are more and more interested in learning the heritage skills which enabled our ancestors to feed their families and preserve the harvests. I find joy and satisfaction in sharing those skills of not only food preservation but foraging and other not-so-common ways to nourish and heal a family in all seasons. While aware of my Heavenly Father’s blessings, I give Him all the glory for my talents and pray I am using them to bless others. 

Creating a comfortable and inviting atmosphere for my family and friends has remained my passion over the years. Through my catering business and hosting innumerable hospitality events in our farmhouses, I’ve enjoyed being a part of the stories that make up the lives of others. 

The year 2020 found my husband and me making the move from middle Tennessee to Ohio—the land of my paternal ancestors and still the home to many family members. We believe that the Lord has led us to our current home and we are finding opportunities to serve and build community where we now live. We are grateful to now call Ohio our home state as my family roots have run deep in Ohio since 1803. I am just a little late getting to the Buckeye party, I suppose. My southern accent and dedicated cast-iron cooking have been generously accepted by the great folks in our area and I am counting my blessings. 

We maintain a small Ohio homeplace with chickens, a kitchen garden, and pet rabbit and poodle for the kids. Armed with the belief that bridges can be built by listening to one another, my family has learned the power of Grace and listening to the stories of so many wonderful folks in the world. If we can do so around my supper table, all the better. 

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
My heart has always been for home, but balancing homemaking, home education, and growing an online business presence has been super challenging for me. The struggle to balance time and choose priorities is real. My wonderfully supportive husband encourages me to follow my dreams while continuing to maintain balance in the home. Often, my eyes are so filled with all the potentially wonderful projects which reside in my head that I require someone to help me see more clearly and realistically. Every creator needs someone who can encourage but offer perspective, as well. Creators should welcome all types of input and inspiration. 

There has been one constant struggle in my entrepreneurship– the fact that I began learning about all things technology when I was 50 years old. It took two full days on the phone with the blog-building folks for me to learn how to build a website from scratch…but I did it! Although I am a college graduate and former public-school teacher, I had zero training in what, nowadays, many folks can do with their eyes closed. Yes, my greatest struggle has been to overcome all the confusion that technology offers to this grandmother. I continue to learn with the help of tutorials and one-on-one assistance and encourage anyone that following her dreams may have some rough stones in the path but there are usually ways to turn those stones around so they can be crossed or, more often than not, there are folks who can help turn those stones around! And, one is never too old to begin new paths. 

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about what you do?
One of our six children urged me to complete my first cookbook in 2017, while another of my sons assured me that I had skills worthy of starting a YouTube channel. Since having a “televised cooking show” has always been appealing to me, I jumped into learning how to create, produce, edit and publish homemaking content with an emphasis on cooking. Currently, my brand, Heritage Ways, now supports a website where I share recipes, blogs, and inspiration. I offer an in-home community newspaper, “The Journal,” to those who subscribe using my weblink or stamp-bartering system. The website’s General Store carries my popular made-to-order aprons as well as other handmade goods and my first two cookbooks, “From Katie’s Kitchen, Volume One” and “Supper’s Ready, Let’s Eat.” Each of these cookbooks contains 150 recipes, while the first one holds tips, menus, ideas, stories, and more. I have taught cooking classes online and gingerbread house decorating classes in person and have inspired homemakers as the former co-host of the podcast “Casseroles and Tacos.” Heritage Ways currently maintains a platform with over 800 tutorials, as well as many social platforms, a weekend e-newsletter, and other avenues used to reach out to folks as I help them create Cozy Homes with Old-Fashioned Family Values. Three more exciting projects are in the works! 

Someone once asked, “Why don’t you separate your personal life from Heritage Ways?” I feel that is a question which suggests the individual doesn’t really understand the impact that Heritage Ways has had on folks worldwide, or doesn’t understand our passion or purpose. Indeed, we call Heritage Ways our “ministry” as we are thankful for all the Lord has done, and we give Him all the glory for any growth we experience. Also, the community which is being built as a result of the brand Heritage Ways is so remarkable that we are often overwhelmed to tears when we receive a hand-written letter in the mail thanking us for “changing their life.” These letters seem to come at just the time when I am in the throes of wanting to throw in the towel due to the sheer amount of diligence that is involved in growing a business. I use “we” or “I” interchangeably when referring to the ownership of Heritage Ways. Yes, I am the primary face of the business, but the premise is that I share my life as a wife and mother with the world. This sharing involves folks’ learning about my supportive Mr. Patient and the children who remain at home with us. The Heritage Ways community of folks has become so dear to us. They are more like family, really. We know so many by name, we know their struggles and successes, we love and appreciate them. The folks in the “community” remember our children’s birthdays with cards and offer to pray when the need arises. If I were asked, “what are you known for?” I’d have to respond that folks in our Heritage Ways community know that we truly care and appreciate them. They know we pray for them and want them to thrive in their homes and families. They know we have struggles just like the next person and aren’t afraid to let them know that we are not perfect, nor should we be put on any pedestals. They know we are real and relatable and our hope is to provide value to their lives and families. We love our community (audience) so very much that we spent almost 24 months in 2018-2020 traveling full-time in an RV for the purpose of meeting folks, serving in volunteer capacities, and building a community of friends. I am especially grateful when I hear someone’s story of how she is friends with another person because they were somehow introduced to one another via Heritage Ways. This just thrills my soul and keeps me going! 

What were you like growing up?
Born and raised in middle Tennessee, I lived with my parents and younger brother, and sister. A common sight was to see little girl Katie “playing school, or mommy, or store.” This shouldn’t have been surprising as those trades were all occupied at one time by folks in my family. Interestingly, I grew up to fill each of those careers in one way or another—proof that childhood play is so much more important than we adults give it credit. Many times, my mother and I would attend classes for such arts as macramé and cake decorating. Mama had a college degree in Home Economics, and her passion for home surely was shared by me. 

We young folks were expected to work diligently in the home and around the farm. There were no such things as computers, cell phones, or digital anything. We read books and my reading interests were of homemaking, cooking, and crafting. I began recognizing kitchen greatness and collecting recipes from the “old-timers” in our family and church when I was nine years old. My home interests were more of the inside variety. During the summer of 1977, I must have complained a little too much about the hot temperatures as we gardened in the hot Tennessee weather for; I recall my dad indicating that I didn’t have to help outside but must add to the family economy in some way. That was the summer that I began seriously learning to prepare the family meals and, basically, maintaining that area of the home while my parents managed garden and animal duties. That summer of my tenth birthday was the milestone that marks my life as a homemaker and kitchen manager. The kitchen remains my favorite room in any house I’ve lived. I could create in the kitchen ‘til the cows come home! That story of the Complaining of ’77 just goes to show that there’s a job for everyone in the family and a place to nurture each person’s gifts and talents. 

Contact Info:

• Website: https://heritageways.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heritagewayskatie/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/HeritageWays
• Other: https://www.patreon.com/HeritageWays

Image Credits
Heritage Ways