FRANKLIN, Tenn. (WTVF) — "I am not a chef. I'm just a cook." That's something often said by a friend of NewsChannel 5. Her name is Daisy King. We all knew her as Miss Daisy. She is known for her southern cooking, even sharing her recipes with viewers on Talk of the Town.
Miss Daisy passed away at 80 years old on Thursday.
There are a lot of people important in her story. Two of them are Marilyn and Calvin Lehew.
Calvin was the builder of Carter's Court in Franklin. That's where in 1974, there was the opening of the now-legendary Miss Daisy's Tea Room. Calvin and Marilyn were silent partners.
"I turned into the first cook," Marilyn said. "This was our menu. A lunch was $3.25!"
It was Southern comfort food. People loved it. They wanted to know how to make it.
"Click! It went off!" Calvin remembered. "I said, 'Daisy, Marilyn, y'all gonna have to get a cookbook out!"
"This is the original yellow cookbook," Marilyn continued. "Green print, yellow pages. It came out 50 years ago."
"Starting that cookbook was one of the best things we did," Calvin added. "We have sold over one million copies."
"It is still in print!" Marilyn said.
There have been many more cookbooks since then.
There's someone else who has one of those original Miss Daisy cookbooks: longtime Talk of the Town host Meryll Rose.
"How many times were you on air with Miss Daisy?" I asked her.
"I can't count that high!" Meryll laughed.
In the 80s, Miss Daisy started making appearances on NewsChannel 5, often appearing on Talk of the Town.
"She had southern cooking down," Meryll said. "She shared that love of cooking and love for hospitality with everybody."
Miss Daisy had several restaurants over the years, including Miss Daisy's Kitchen still in Franklin.
"She always said, 'People come in as a guest and leave as friends,'" Meryll remembered.
"She was driven by a love of people and a love of food," said Marilyn.
Meryll said what she'll remember is the way Miss Daisy's love for people could just shine through the screen. How great to have all those wonderful recipes in those familiar yellow cookbooks.
"Cream chicken!" Marilyn said, effortlessly flipping to page 13.
"It's coming apart," Meryll laughed, flipping through her cookbook. "That's because it's been so loved and so used over the years. I mourn her loss, and yet, I know she's happy. Happy to be in heaven."
Some of you may know Daisy King and Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn were friends.
The Senator told us she still has the first cookbook Miss Daisy put out.
She called her a "fearless entrepreneur."
"Daisy had such an impact on so many lives, including mine, and she always stepped up to help younger women who were trying to find their way in the restaurant and food business. I think she will be remembered for her ability to always find the good in things, and I know she will be deeply missed by so many," Blackburn said.
Owning a small business is not for the faint of heart, especially in this economy. Jason Lamb's story with Uncle Pete reminds us of where our dollars are spent truly impacts our community and neighbors. But beware -- you'll be hungry for some home cookin' after watching this story!
-Carrie Sharp
