There’s nothing better than the sweet taste of home or the rich taste of history.

Now, one local group is looking to immortalize both in a heritage cookbook and needs not only the area’s most notable recipes, but also stories about their cooks.

Sponsored by the City of Andalusia’s Tourism and Relocation Committee, the project looks to research, create and publish a historical cookbook that reflects the culture and heritage of the Andalusia area, said T&R member Barbara Nichols.

“I grew up on Thames Street (in Andalusia), which was notorious for its summer barbecues,” Nichols said. “They’d put out the grills, and it was a block party before people even knew the term.

“There were wonderful stories and wonderful food,” she said. “Jewel Palmer made the most wonderful salad, and it’s those stories and those recipes that we want.”

Nichols talked about Trudy Alford’s seven-layer cake, the delights featured at ladies bridge clubs and the soul food favorites served at dinner on the grounds.

“Those are the types of things we’re looking for,” she said. “There are all these special recipes that have been handed down through the generations, like your great-grandmother’s tea cakes, that need to be shared. We’re looking for those specialties that make you think of home.”

Nichols said the project is currently in the planning stages, with no definitive publish date, however, the group hopes to have the book ready by this time next year.

Recipes and stories are being accepted through January.

“After that, we plan to have students do a bit of research about the cooks and to have a recipe-testing session to make sure we’ve chosen the perfect ones for the cookbook,” she said.

To submit a recipe, contact Nichols at 334-427-0454 or via email at bnichols@andycable.com or Melissa Gambill at 334-222-4033 or via email at melgambill@andycable.com.