Aug. 2—TUPELO — At the urging of co-workers and my family, I am the last Cook of the Week I will feature in this space. If you're a regular reader, you know a lot of my background already from my column. But here are some things I don't think I've shared before. First, unlike many young girls, I didn't grow up cooking in the kitchen with my my mother, who was an outstanding Southern cook. Now and then, she'd let me watch, but the kitchen was pretty much off limits to my sister, Donna, and me.