South County Profile: Judy Hawkins

JUDY HAWKINS

Judy Hawkins of Anderson has always loved to cook. It has brought her a unique hobby of sorts, collecting cook books of all types. She purchases them at yard sales.

Her best find to date is an Indian cookbook purchased for $1.98. The same book is advertised on Amazon for $999.98. Hawkins and her husband enjoy cooking together in their kitchen at home. She makes the main course and he makes the bread by hand.

Holiday get-togethers are a competition of sorts. Starting with a $10 entry fee, each family member makes appetizers, pies, cakes and cookies at Thanksgiving and at Christmas. The Hawkins family has someone come in to judge the entries to see who wins.

Hawkins began her love for cooking while working at the Truckadero, which was once located on Interstate 5. She also worked at Ramona's Restaurant as a cook. Hawkins enjoys trying new recipes and shopping for cookbooks at yard sales. Her favorite types of food to cook are Mexican food, southern cooking and Pennsylvania Dutch (Amish). Hawkins has a collection of more than 3,000 cookbooks. The books are all labeled in sections, so she can go in and just pull a book off the shelf.

"My family is very supportive of my cooking and my collecting of cookbooks," said Hawkins. "The competitions that we have makes cooking fun."

Currently, Hawkins is putting together a book of recipes using recipes from friends, family and some of her own recipes. Hawkins is also working on a fund-raiser called "Day in the Park," in which she will be cooking Mexican food from Ramona's Restaurant, which closed many years ago. The fund-raiser's proceeds will go towards Corner Stone Fellowship's outreach programs.

Hawkins attended Redding Beauty College, graduating in 1967. At 19 years old, she owned her own beauty shop in Anderson, called Judy's Beauty Shop. She ran the shop for four years. After changing jobs, Hawkins went to work at Ramona's Restaurant and then started working at Kim's Beauty Garden in Anderson. She was there for approximately five years before retiring due to medical necessities. Hawkins is a 1965 graduate of Anderson High School.

Name: Judy Hawkins.

Born where and when: LaGrande, Ore., 1947.

Marital Status: Married for 37 years to my husband Clyde.

Family: My husband Clyde, five children and eight grandchildren.

Pets: Four cats and four dogs.

My worst job: Picking shrimp and cracking crab at a fishery in Oregon.

My first job: Working as a motel maid in Anderson.

My favorite job: Cooking at Ramona's Restaurant and working at Kim's Beauty Garden.

In my spare time I: Cook.

My favorite book: The Bible.

My favorite movie: "Something's Gotta Give," a 2003 romantic comedy with Jack Nicholson, Diane Keaton and Keanu Reeves.

My favorite recording artist: The Statler Brothers, Gospel.

My dream car: A Hummer.

My friends like me because: I am loyal and funny.

If stranded on a deserted island, I would want: My family.

The one thing in life I've learned is: to be myself.

The best advice my parents gave me: To work hard.

My most embarrassing moment: Walking around at a baby shower with my dress stuck in my panty hose.

My most irrational act: An incident at my son's basketball game.

My most valuable possession: My cook books. All 3,000 of them.

What I like best about the North State: Being surrounded by the beautiful scenery.

My hero is: My husband.

My pet peeve is: People who drive slow in the passing lane.

My fantasy is: To have a gourmet kitchen.

If I could change one thing about myself, I would: Be more organized.

The one thing Shasta County needs most is: More jobs and activities for teens.

The most enjoyable thing about life is: Hanging out with family and friends.