“I really don’t know what happened,” says Brenda of the immense popularity of that first early-pandemic video in 2020. “It is incredible.” She followed it up with more posts laced with practical life advice, which show how to make all manner of creamy casseroles, desserts, and Southern basics like biscuits and dumplings. Cooking with Brenda Gantt now has nearly 3 million followers on Facebook.
Her first, sold-out cookbook—It’s Gonna Be Good Y’all, A Collection of Family Recipes & Stories—takes the videos a step further for those who have a need to actually measure ingredients. It’s filled with homespun recipes like the fried pies or cabbage casserole that she so ably demonstrates on social media from her home kitchen in Andalusia, Alabama.
