Shuga’s Cookin’

Shuga’s Cookin’ is a blog and cookbook in the making about home cooked food that looks, smells, and tastes great! Shuga’s Cookin’ is about the full experience of food—from garden to kitchen, to meal, to gathering friends and family around a table. Founded by Linda Corbin, Shuga’s Cookin’ is the offspring of Shuga’s foods to order, a business started over two decades ago. Not only is Linda known for her extraordinary cooking, she is also known for her ability to garden, arrange flowers, entertain, and present food in a way that makes for meaningful memories.

About Linda Corbin

I have been cooking for 70 years, beginning at age 4 helping my mom make what I call “Childhood Lemon Meringue Pie”. I had my first formal 4 course dinner party at age 16. I cooked for friends while in college, but it wasn’t until after graduation that I began to really entertain. I started with casual backyard barbeques and brunches. In my thirties, I began hosting dinner parties, cocktail parties, rehearsal dinners for family members, wedding welcome parties, baby and bridal showers, Brokers Open Luncheons for new real estate listings and receptions for the University of Virginia Alumni with guest lists from 50 to 125.

Though I had a busy career in real estate, when my youngest left for college, I was at a loss of what to do with the time that I spent watching soccer and lacross games and spending time together. Family and friends kept suggesting cook, cook, write a cookbook, cook, cater, write a cookbook--in short, do something I loved! Real Estate took up too much time to cater so Shuga's was born. Through Shuga's, I created a menu of sauces, cakes and cookies, hors d'oeuvres, spreads, and other goodies for people to order. I did craft fairs and fundraising events in Baltimore and Richmond, but word of mouth kept me as busy as I could handle for 15 years. I was even a guest chef at the Green Spring Valley Hunt Club for a dinner that sold out in 48 hours. The moment had arrived for me to put my years of experience and recipes from 4 generations of my family to print.

My mother's sister, Shelby (I called her Boots) was perhaps my greatest inspiration and collaborator. For eight years, she and I would spend weeks at a time together tweaking multiple recipes, taking 3 or 4 of the same and making them into one then coming up with our own original version.. In Shuga’s Cookin’, all of the recipes that have “It Takes Two” in front of it, are those we created together. Shelby died exactly two years ago today as this was written, and my last words whispered were, "I promise I will finish the book! I LOVE YOU!"

It was very difficult for me to pick this project up again without her.,but when my 9 year old grandson, Sam, asked me to make meringues with him when I came out to visit, I decided the time is now to keep my promise.