Beatrice Moore ‘80
PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas – When Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU) alumna Beatrice Moore ‘80 was a child living on a Texas farm, she didn’t know she would grow up and write a cookbook. What she did know was how to garden, cook, and the importance of eating meals with her family.
“I did not grow up eating fast food. All of our food was prepared from scratch in the kitchen,” said Moore. “I always experimented with seasonings, especially when I began to create weekly menus for my family when my children were young.”
Years later, she took that passion for cooking and teamed up with fellow PVAMU alumna Vernita Harris ’79 ‘81 to create an inspiring new cookbook: Pinch-Dash-Done, A Gateway to Flavorful Recipes.
The co-authors share a friendship that began more than 40 years ago on “The Hill.”
Vernita Harris ’79 ‘81
“Beatrice and I met the Saturday before the spring semester started in 1976,” said Harris. “We were the odds ones on campus since it was our first semester. This January 2021 will make 45 years of friendship!”
Cooking Fueled by the Pandemic
During the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic, both women were active on Facebook, posting the meals they were creating during the stay-at-home order. Harris approached Moore about an idea to write a cookbook together, and Pinch-Dash-Done, A Gateway to Flavorful Recipes was born six months later.
“We present two totally different approaches to cooking,” said Harris. “I had ideas, but Beatrice loves cooking.”
Moore was inspired by her mother, grandmother, and aunt with great lessons about gardening, food preparation, and the importance of using the right seasonings.
“I wanted to pay homage to them and all they taught me,” said Moore. “The name is a reflection of both Vernita’s and my love of seasonings and spices and how good food may be prepared easily with mostly kitchen staples.”
Pinch-Dash-Done, A Gateway to Flavorful Recipes runs the gamut – it features breakfast, sides, desserts, entrees, “lite bites,” and more.
“Our new cookbook gives traditional dishes a contemporary twist with Southern, Tex-Mex, Italian, and Caribbean influences the entire family can enjoy,” the duo said. “Filled with more than 160 recipes, even the pickiest eater will love them. Pinch-Dash-Done, A Gateway to Flavorful Recipes will delight experienced cooks as well as those new to the kitchen.
The culinary guide also introduces readers to herb gardening basics, a throwback to Moore’s childhood.
“The compilation of recipes offers a glimpse into my world where the garden is as essential to my cooking as is heat,” she said. “My sincere prayer is that many families will be encouraged to start a garden to combat food insecurity, come together in the kitchen and reconnect as a family, and continue the time-honored tradition of creating new recipes and handing down secret recipes.”
Feeding a Benevolent Cause
In addition to introducing satisfying recipes to readers, Harris and Moore are using the cookbook project as a philanthropic effort to bring awareness to food insecurity. The U.S. Department of Agriculture defines food insecurity as a lack of consistent access to enough food for an active and healthy life. According to the Feeding America website, “More than 50 million people may experience food insecurity in 2020, including a potential 17 million children.”
To help combat this issue, a portion of the proceeds from the sale of each book will benefit the Houston Food Bank and PVAMU.
“The pandemic made it clear that food insecurity was not only real but had invaded communities in America on every level,” Moore said. “Both PVAMU and the Houston Food Bank are working to address food insecurity in different ways, and we naturally want to support them.”
The Houston Food Bank is America’s largest food bank in distribution, leading hunger relief in 18 southeast Texas counties. PVAMU is the second oldest public university in the State of Texas. Moore and Harris plan to establish a scholarship endowment at PVAMU because of its agricultural and mechanical focus to assist students who are economically challenged in safeguarding a quality education. The newly created scholarships will support students majoring in agribusiness to promote domestic and international food systems and supply chains.
“I take great pride in Prairie View A&M University,” said Harris. “The education I received prepared and enhanced my confidence in competing on the world stage. I look for opportunities to give back to the university and enrich students’ chances of becoming future alums and productive people.”
Carrying on the PVAMU Legacy
Moore credits her time at PVAMU for giving her the skills she needed to be successful throughout her career, including having written mathematics textbooks and fiction and faith-based books. The founder and owner of Luchin Educational Consultant and Talent Development, LLC, has fond memories of being inspired on campus.
“I still have an autographed copy of the convocation program at which Ms. Gwendolyn Brooks spoke. She was the first African-American to win the Pulitzer Prize in poetry,” she said. “I thank PVAMU for giving me all the skills and tools I needed in order to be a successful educator, consultant, entrepreneur, and writer. PVAMU really does Produce Productive People!”
Harris, who is president of Impact Strategies Consultants and Impact International Group and a publisher of six books, credits PVAMU for her success in the business world.
“I found my sense of pride and purpose as I was groomed by the best professors and administrators that guided my transformation from teenager to young adult in a safe environment. Coming on the campus for the first time at the age of 16 was truly love at first sight.”
And their love for PVAMU carries through Pinch-Dash-Done, A Gateway to Flavorful Recipes, which features a foreword by PVAMU President Ruth J. Simmons and designs by PVAMU alumni Gwen St. Julian and Byron Lundy. Phyllis Darden-Caldwell and Terrance Omar Gilbert, also PVAMU alumni, are volunteering as consultants on the project.
“We want to model the art of giving back,” said Moore. “The public also sees how women can come together with an idea and execute it.”
Pinch-Dash-Done, A Gateway to Flavorful Recipes is available for purchase through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-a-Million, The Potters Wheel Gift Gallery, and Galveston Bookshop.
By Angie Frederickson and Marchita Shilo
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