'Heroes Favorites' Cookbook in the Works
Emily Christensen - Waterloo Courier
Sep 02, 2008
Sue Gress has a bit of an affinity for cookbooks. She classifies her collection as "huge" and admits to reading the recipes the way others devour novels.
"That doesn't mean I cook anything out of them, I just like them," she said.
She hopes to soon add another book to her collection, one with a special meaning for her family and at least 400 others. Gress is currently collecting recipes for "Heroes Favorites," a collection of recipes from hundreds of veterans and current soldiers. Each recipe will be accompanied by a paragraph telling about the soldier who submitted the recipe.
Gress hopes to have the recipes collected by mid-September and ready for sale by November. All proceeds from the books will go toward this year's Iowa's Bravest gift boxes, which will be sent out to Iowa soldiers just in time for the holiday season.
"My son, Corey, has been a recipient of the Iowa's Bravest package a couple of times. It's quite an emotional thing and I was just looking for a way to help out," Gress said.
Cpl. Corey Gress, 24, recently returned from his second tour of duty in Iraq. He will be adding a recipe for lasagna to his mother's cookbook, but said it was a toss-up between that and lemonade pie.
"I've been craving those two things for months. If she could have sent them out to me, she would have," he said.
Gress said he is impressed with and grateful for the volunteers who help pull off the Iowa's Bravest shipment each year.
"It's great that we have people here doing this kind of stuff. They deserve just as much recognition for what they are doing," he said. "We could be having the worst day out there and we would get that package and it would liven up our day. Most of these people don't even know who we are, but they are doing their part here."
Sue hopes her cookbook can serve as another vehicle to honor the soldiers who served their country, sometimes without the same praise and recognition as her son.
"I have many friends who served in Vietnam. They don't get the recognition that these guys do," she said. "This book is for them, too."
So far, Sue has collected about 100 recipes from soldiers who served during Vietnam, World War II, the Korean War, the Gulf War and our current conflict. She is hoping for another 300 recipes.
"I really want this to be a huge cookbook. I want it to be worth people's $20," she said.
Julie Ehlers, organizer of the Iowa's Bravest project, also is grateful for Sue's efforts, especially given the fact that her soldier has already returned home.
"Passing on this kindness is a wonderful gesture to be admired. Sue knows firsthand just how difficult it is for our men and women serving and for their families at home. That's what makes it so special," Ehlers said.
She hopes the cookbook will be cherished by each soldier's family and the community as a whole, not only for the recipes inside, but also for the personal stories.
"In years to come, this could be a very nice piece of history to have on our Iowa's bravest who have served," Ehlers said. "This book will also be a tribute to the Iowa servicemen and women who have lost their lives in Afghanistan and Iraq. It's a nice way to remember and honor them as well."
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