Cooking Up Connections with Fran Hill

In honor of Town Square’s 10th anniversary on June 25, we will be sharing notable moments in our history.

Not even a global pandemic could stop Town Square’s community from connecting. 

This was proven in March 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic hit and in-person programming was put on hold. Executive Director Fran Hill knew it would take something powerful to connect people despite physical distance. 

The answer was, of course, food. Specifically, it was the creation of a cookbook. 

“Cooking at home became a big activity during the pandemic, so we thought this was the perfect time to get people together through a community cookbook,” Fran said. “Food builds community, that’s why it is one of our core programming areas. People gather around the table and get to know each other and build friendships. We thought this could be part of the glue that keeps us together during this time.”

In an effort to create that virtual “table,” Fran put out the call and received recipe submissions from many people with different connections to Town Square and Green Lake. Some recipes were simple, others more intricate. There were generational family recipes and legendary Green Lake recipes from the previous Heidel House. From “Don’t-Call-Me-Sugar” Cookies with Lynn Grout to pizza with Danielle Boerson, the recipes all offered a look into the kitchens (and lives) of interesting Green Lake community members. 

No known pictures exist of Fran actually cooking, so this was created by Board Member Jo Ellen Madden.

“The most fun part of it was when people reading the recipes would say ‘Wow, I can't wait until the pandemic’s over because I want to meet this person,’” Fran said. “That's what we have here at Town Square, a spot where really interesting people get to know each other. And the cookbook allowed us to keep making those introductions despite the circumstances.” 

The cookbook launched in April 2020 and proved to be an outlet for joy and humor during a dark year. It also revealed there are many ways to connect with our neighbors, even if not in person. 

“Living in a rural area like this, everyone is so spread out,” Fran said. “There's really cool people doing cool things you'd never meet or know existed. That's what we are all about - connecting all those cool people to one another.”

Recipes were shared in Town Square’s weekly e-newsletter and website. Despite talks of printing physical copies of the cookbook, Fran says, for now, the cookbook belongs in the digital space. 

“Putting it into a physical book would mean it's done. I just think it's something that should be ongoing because there's always new people, new recipes and new ideas,” she said. “Just like Town Square, it will never be finished.”