Delaware is full of delicious foods and family recipes that have been passed down through the generations, and one former resident is hoping to compile them in one place for all in the community to enjoy.

Peggy Maguire, a 1981 graduate of Delaware Hayes High School, is asking for recipe submissions from any and all Delaware residents to be put into a Delaware cookbook she will publish later this year. Maguire is asking for all types of submissions, whether it be food, sauces, or drinks, as well as the stories associated with the dishes. Along with the recipes, Maguire is also seeking Delaware-related art illustrations to be included in the cookbook.

Maguire has published other works in the past, including things such as planners and journals, but said she wanted to do something that would encapsulate what Delaware means to both her and so many in the community.

“As you’re growing up in a town, you don’t appreciate all the wonderfulness about a smaller town until you move,” Maguire said. “I, to this day, fly home once a month to see my friends. There’s a close connection in that whole community.”

Maguire said she got the idea after seeing cookbooks in various places throughout the southern portion of the country that featured a compilation of local recipes and stories.

Along with seeing those cookbooks, she said her own mother kept a tin box full of recipe cards, many of which belonged to Maguire’s grandmother and have now been passed down to her daughter. Maguire said it’s that passing of timeless recipes through generations of family members that she hopes to illustrate in the book. “It’s more than a recipe book. It’s a collection of memories,” she said.

Given the small-town feel so many in Delaware cherish, Maguire said not only might the cookbook feature residents’ own family recipes, but also those of other residents or family friends they’ve enjoyed through the years.

For those who might not have a recipe to share, but do have a story that represents what it means to grow up in Delaware, Maguire said those stories will be welcomed all the same. Maguire said that while the food might have been an aspect of a special memory, the memory in its entirety contains so many more details she would like to have represented in the book.

In addition to serving as a sentimental collection of recipes and stories that illustrate the fabric of a small town, Maguire’s cookbook will also directly benefit the community. Maguire said once the costs of printing the cookbook are recuperated, the remaining proceeds will be donated to local charities. “I’m just trying to pay it forward and do some good, and create something that is really special for the entire community,” she said.

Maguire said she would like to have all recipes received and the book printed by Nov. 15, which would make it available for purchase in time for the Christmas holiday season. Those interested in submitting a recipe, story, or both can do so by emailing them to Maguire at [email protected] or messaging her on the Bella Grace Planners Facebook page.

Maguire said she is going to create a landing page where those interested in purchasing the book can do so. A link to the page will be made available on her Facebook pages when the book is ready for purchase.