Hazel Mayfield usually cooks the Thanksgiving meal for her extended family in Houston, Texas. She usually welcomes friends and neighbors eager to sample her Cajun fried turkey, green bean casserole, candied yams, homemade cornbread dressing, and dirty rice—just a few of her signature dishes. Known as Suga Mama, because her grandchildren think she’s so sweet, the 91-year-old typically likes to do her own shopping for the ingredients to make her special dishes.

“My mother is the head cook of the family,” said Paulette Mouton, Mayfield’s daughter. “Because of her reputation, you know, there's people in and out all day, everybody's family comes through. They want to get some of Sugar Mama’s cooking. We’re from Louisiana and we cook all that.” (