A Collard Valley Cotton Field at Sunrise

WHERE DID I GROW UP? 

​Hey and welcome to my channel.  I decided to reveal a little more personal information about who I am and why I started this cooking channel.
I was born in Floyd County in Rome, Georgia, next to the county where I grew up.  Our local hospital wasn’t large enough to deliver babies.  I was raised on Collard Valley Road.  Collard Valley is actually a place where many of the local farmers lived, raised cattle and had farmland.  They typically grew cotton, corn, and soybeans.  The photo shows a beautiful cotton field on a clear morning with a beautiful sunrise.
We lived in the valley named after a Native American Indian, Chief Collard.  Here is more information on him:

WHERE IS COLLARD VALLEY? Who is it named after?

​Chief Collard was a leader of a Cherokee tribe who lived in what is now known as Collard Valley, located in Polk County, Georgia. Here's what we know about him:

• Peaceful Coexistence: Historical accounts suggest Chief Collard and his tribe lived peacefully alongside white settlers in Cedartown, Georgia, before the forced removal of Cherokees known as the Trail of Tears in 1838.
• Dispossession and Relocation: Documents from 1837 show that Chief Collard lost his land to white settlers before the official removal. He likely relocated to Cedar Creek and established another farm before being forced westward with his tribe.
• Photographic Evidence: A rare photograph exists of Chief Collard and his sons, likely taken after their relocation to Oklahoma. The photo suggests they may have converted to Christianity, as they wear crosses around their necks. It's believed the sons returned to Georgia after the Civil War and presented the photograph to the Whatley family, with whom they had been neighbors.

Where to Learn More:

• Polk County Historical Society: The Polk County Historical Society website has a section dedicated to Chief Collard: https://polkhist.com/chief-collard-and-the-cherokee/.
• News Articles: You can find local news articles about Chief Collard, such as this one from the Standard Journal: https://polkhist.com/chief-collard-and-the-cherokee/.

Picture was taken from the Polk County Historical Society website and edited with Adobe Spark to sharpen the men's attire.

Our daughter May in Collard Valley

​Now you know Collard Valley was beautiful with rich soil and rolling hills. Daddy built our home on a hill with a beautiful view for miles across the valley. My grandfather owned land in Collard Valley, and his children built homes around it. We could cross over fencing and play with our cousins, which made our childhood full of great memories of the land and livestock around us.

My fondest memories are playing with my cousins and enjoying the clover my dad planted, the sugar cane, and the field corn. My granddaddy and my father raised beef cattle. They didn’t farm the land with crops. This made crossing over the pastures more challenging because we had to watch the bulls closely. We could not walk in the pasture if they were within sight distance. The cool thing about this is that it helped us gain a sense of responsibility at a young age.

​We also had horses, chickens, pigs, and sometimes goats and other livestock.  We had fresh eggs, meat from our cattle, and sausage from our pigs. We were blessed, and our family as a whole was very blessed, and we all accounted that to our Christian grandparents and their prayers for each and every one of us.

The Church of the Apostle, Atlanta Georgia

---

I obtained a degree in Architectural Engineering from Southern Tech in 1992. Most of my career has focused on school projects, where I worked as a project architect. One memorable project was the Church of the Apostles in Atlanta, Georgia, for which I had the privilege of collaborating with my friend and architect Tim Parham from CDH Partners, Inc. In the early 90s, Tim created the sketches, and I input the information into CAD. Together, we completed the architectural plans for the original sanctuary.

After having cancer at the age of 40, my priorities changed from a career in Architecture to being a good mama and wife.  In 2017, at the age of 48, I created videos so my children would know how to cook like me, my mother, my grandmother, and the women in the area I grew up in.  That is why I called my channel Collard Valley Cooks. I didn’t want it to focus on me but on all the men and women in my life who were great cooks.   The food in our area and at our church was some of the best I have ever tasted, and I wanted my kids to know how to prepare it so they, too, could continue my Georgia Southern Cooking roots.​

I had no idea it would turn into a YouTube and Facebook channel with four written cookbooks years later. Since then, I have not only made a way to teach my children my skills and recipes but also many others all around the world. 

Our daughter May with my husband Chris

Our daughter Amy, Our God daughter Kaysha.

Malissa @ Tillman's HS Graduation

​​My husband and I have two children and one godchild.  Our daughters May and Amy were born 15 months apart making them not only sisters, but also friends.  They both live together in Savannah and both work with Autistic children.  They are both RBTs, Registered Behavior Technicians in the same practice. 
In summary, RBT certification is a valuable credential for individuals working as behavior technicians, providing them with the necessary skills, knowledge, and recognition to work effectively in the field of applied behavior analysis. Amy graduated with a bachelor's degree in Psychology in May 2024.  Our godchild, Kaysha, was born in 2001 and is currently in college, pursuing a Computer Engineering degree.  Our children are a large part of our lives; we love and see them often.

My sister, Malissa Benefield, works for us part-time and handles all book sales and shipping.  She has a son with special needs who has cerebral palsy, and working with us allows her to work from home. This enables her to take care of my nephew without needing to hire a sitter. We use the income from cookbooks to pay her.  We want to thank everyone who has purchased a cookbook!

I have a fascinating life story full of highs and lows. I went to college and received a bachelor's degree in Architectural Engineering despite marrying at 15 and being divorced at 16 while attending high school.

We can all succeed despite our challenges if we set our minds to it and don’t get distracted by our circumstances. I also believe that Jesus Christ is my anchor. He is given all the glory for my success. He keeps me grounded, and I have had Him as my counselor since I was a young child. I know that He has helped me overcome the bad choices I made and lifted me up above life's stormy waves.

My new goal as a creator is to combine all the best recipes in a single cookbook by the end of 2025. I also want to write an autobiography about my life. Reading autobiographies of successful, strong-minded women had a profound influence on me in elementary school. Reading about these women helped me understand that I was capable.

I want to thank you personally for watching our cooking channel. I appreciate and love you dearly.  Tammy Nichols