Photo by John Telford. ©1996-2007 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.

March 17 marks the 165th anniversary of the organization of the Relief Society. Throughout the world, local Relief Society units, whether they be branch or ward, district or stake, will be commemorating this momentous event with special dinners, programs, festivities, and, most significant, sharing sisterhood.

Important, too, is honoring the legacy of the sisters who have led the Relief Society from its beginnings to our current day.

The Relief Society has been guided and developed by fourteen remarkable women who, working under inspiration from the Lord and often at great personal sacrifice, have served as the general presidents. A study of their lives provides modern Latter-day Saint women with wonderful role models as well as insights into how each woman was called to lead the Relief Society at a particular time in Church history because of her experiences, strengths, and abilities.

What may not be widely known by many, however, is the contributions these presidents have made in the kitchen! Take a look at some of their culinary history.

EMMA SMITH
First general president, 1842-44

Emma Smith welcomed many visitors to the Smith home, wherever they lived. Her guests remembered seeing her often in an apron, the corner of which she fingered as she talked.

In Nauvoo, Emma at last had her own home. A two-story log house, which the Smiths named the Homestead, was built for her family. A constant stream of Saints from other parts of the United States and from Europe arrived in Nauvoo, and many were invited to lodge temporarily with Joseph and Emma.

Kitchen in Joseph and Emma Smith’s Nauvoo home.

By 1842, more space was needed to house the arrivals, so a larger home, the Mansion House, was built on a corner lot across from the Homestead. Eventually the Mansion House had twenty-two rooms; the Prophet's family occupied three, and the rest served as hotel rooms.

W. W. Phelps once remarked to Emma, as she struggled to feed the many visitors, that Joseph should have a smaller table in order to limit the number of guests, as did Napoleon. Her reply was, "Joseph is a bigger man than Napoleon; he could never eat without his friends."

BATHSHEBA W. SMITH
Fourth general president, 1901-1910

When Bathsheba W. Smith and her apostle husband, George A., arrived in the Salt Lake Valley, he began building an adobe house for Bathsheba. Before finishing it, however, he was called to colonize Parowan, 250 miles south of Salt Lake City.

When he left for Parowan with one of his plural wives, Bathsheba hid in his wagon a package containing a small sugar loaf, a bunch of English currants, and a poem that read, in part, "Now I give it unto thee, / That comfort you may in this, / My great large sugar kiss."

George A. wrote of Bathsheba's gift in his journal, "For surely, I remember my first love."

CLARISSA S. WILLIAMS
Sixth general president, 1921-1928

Clarissa S. Williams and her husband, William, were gracious hosts and entertained frequently. Their home had a ballroom downstairs and was the scene of many parties. Clarissa was an expert cook, having taken classes from well-known chefs as well as helping to cook for her mother's boarders. She owned thirty-six place settings of fine china, which she used often.

But her hospitality extended beyond setting a beautiful table and serving a delicious meal. She made her guests feel genuinely welcome in her home. A generous woman, she often served meals to uninvited guests.

Her daughter Eva Williams Darger recalled, "As a little girl I remember the many hobos, vagrants or tramps who would knock at the back door for a handout. One summer day when three or four men had come to the door for food, Mama asked, `Where are these men coming from?' The hungry hobo said, ‘Ma'am, there is a mark on the tree in your front yard that tells us that you are generous with your food. We have marks that let our friends know about mad dogs, gun crazy men and good victuals. You ought to be proud, Ma'am, of your generous reputation.' "

Clarissa's daughters inherited their mother's love of entertaining, for as adults, they and the daughters-in-law took turns hosting weekly Thursday luncheons at which Clarissa was the honored guest. These luncheons, Eva Smith Darger said, were "viewed as productions so the fine china, silver, crystal and linen were always used to set the table (often a card table in a small apartment) and the latest recipe from one of the current women's magazines was tried. All of the Williams girls prided ourselves on being excellent cooks and have always been as interested in the attractive presentation of the food as the taste and nutritional value.”

LOUISE YATES ROBISON
Seventh general president, 1928-1939

Christmas brought its traditional festivities to the Louise and Lyman Robison household. The children's homemade decorations adorned the house. They traditionally hung their stockings until adulthood, and Louise always set out two kinds of pie for Santa Claus on Christmas Eve.

Her daughter Gladys R. Winter recalled, "Oh, those pies! I wonder if all children grow up as we did, with the firm assurance that Mama was the one best cook in the world. Her pies were superlative and generous.”

Gladys added, "Although her children were nearly grown when she was the busiest in these organizations, we were never conscious of her responsibilities and accomplishments because somehow she kept the home running smoothly with very few late meals, and the cake we wanted to take to a party, or a special dress that was needed, was always ready."

AMY BROWN LYMAN
Eighth general president, 1941-1945

An excellent homemaker, Amy Brown Lyman bottled some four hundred jars of fruit every year so that her family could have fruit every morning. She was especially proud of her grape jelly. A good cook, she enjoyed formal evening meals in the dining room, not only with her family, but often with friends, important visitors, or perhaps someone in need.

BARBARA W. WINDER
Eleventh general president, 1984-1990

Susan W. Tanner said that she and her brothers learned from their mother's example of generosity and good humor. The kitchen was always available to bring friends in for a snack or to make cookies or a meal to take to someone. One evening just before Halloween, girls from the Granger High School Pep Club strewed toilet paper around the Winders' house and yard, a local custom that was usually done surreptitiously. Much to the girls' surprise, Barbara brought out candied apples to treat them.

"Ice Cream Sunday" became another Winder tradition, especially when the children were teenagers. With the abundant supply of cream available from the dairy, Rich and Barbara churned homemade ice cream every Sunday and invited all the Winder relatives and the children's friends to their home each week.

ELAINE L. JACK
Twelfth general president, 1990-1997

Elaine likes people. She is gracious, laughs easily, and puts others at ease. She enjoys entertaining friends in her home and cooking for them. Carol L. Clark, who later served as Elaine’s administrative assistant, said, “I started working with Elaine Jack when I was called to serve on Belle S. Spafford’s general board in 1973. Elaine chaired the Curriculum Committee at a season when the Relief Society chose authors and evaluated every lesson. We met at 6 a.m. Sunday mornings for many months of each year around her kitchen table to discuss those lessons.

“I learned early some wonderful qualities Elaine possesses. She has always been ‘class’ embodied. From the cut of her clothes to the set of her table to her hand-written notes, Elaine is blessed with a natural graciousness and charm. Ever the loving wife and mother, Elaine shares her home and family and fun and food (always fabulous — she’s a gifted cook) with so many others — both extended family and those she adopts in.”

MARY ELLEN W. SMOOT
Thirteenth general president, 1997-2002

Although Mary Ellen Smoot’s early childhood years spanned most of the Great Depression — which caused financial hardship for many families throughout the United States and the world — the Wood family survived fairly well due to her parents’ abilities and hard work. Her father, Melvin, loved gardening, planting abundant vegetables and fruit trees as well as beautiful flowers. He also raised a cow, a pig, and chickens, and the Woods usually had plenty of milk and eggs to share with their neighbors. Mary Ellen’s mother, LaVora, was very careful to use and store what they produced.

Mary Ellen recalled, “Provident living and self-reliance were virtues instilled in us from an early age as we all took part in placing seeds in the ground, watering, weeding, harvesting, and canning or bottling in preparation for the winter months.” She remembered, “Our storage room was like a small grocery store. Everything had its own label and we were all a part of the organization of the storage room every fall.”

Mary Ellen and her husband, Stan, have seven children, fifty-one grandchildren and an ever-growing number of great-grandchildren. The Smoots all meet monthly for family home evenings, often at Stan and Mary Ellen’s home.

“It’s never easy when you put that many kids in one house — it can get pretty chaotic, but it helps the grandkids to be close to their cousins,” said Scott, the Smoots’ sixth child. “And the grandkids love their grandparents. The door is always open. There’s never an inconvenient time to stop at their home. Mom fixes you some food or has a treat for you or gives you something as you go out the door.”

BONNIE D. PARKIN
Fourteenth general president, 2002-

All the Parkin family agreed that Bonnie is “a fantastic cook,” a skill she learned in her mother’s kitchen. Brett Parkin has “lots of wonderful memories of hot bread, and good, healthy meals — the meat and potato-type for raising four boys. As much as we had going on, she was always trying to get us to sit down at the dinner table. We learned a lot at the family dinner table.”

Sunday dinners, particularly, were times for the family to enjoy each other’s company, to visit and discuss what was happening in their lives.

“She is a fabulous cook,” said daughter-in-law Ann Parkin. “She makes the best rolls. They are to die for. We always try them and they don’t turn out that way. Her boys cook. She had them trained well and they’re all great cooks. They are all there right in the kitchen on Sunday afternoon cooking.”

Bonnie accompanied her husband, Jim, to England, where he presided over the London South Mission. An elder in the mission, Matt Montague, noted that “Sister Parkin’s cooking was out of this world — especially “her famous hot fudge sauce that every missionary loved!” Bonnie’s chocolate chip banana bread, which she served after interviews, at zone conferences, and in numerous other settings, was a mission legend.

All material and quotes are taken from Elect Ladies: Presidents of the Relief Society by Janet Peterson and LaRene Gaunt (1990) and the updated edition (2007). All photographs ©1996-2007 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.

Click here to sign up for Meridian's FREE email updates.