Anna Mancuso Naquin
April 30, 2008
Edna Mae Westbrook Smith Guilfore
May 2, 2008
Come May 11, Donna Nicholson won’t be sitting down to a fancy dinner – she’ll be cooking one for other moms.
As chef at Holiday Inn of Houma’s La Pirogue, Nicholson wouldn’t celebrate the day any other way.
“I love preparing meals for mothers on their special day because they seem to have such joy in being cooked for,” she said. “It’s one day out of the year where they will be the servee and not the server.”
The mother of four has spent the last 18 Mother’s Days working at one restaurant or another. It may shorten her celebration time, but Nicholson said it’s worth it to come to a hot meal, prepared with love by her husband of 26 years, Mark.
“On Mother’s Day, my children always wait until I get off work and then we celebrate my Mother’s Day,” she said. “They always show me how much they appreciate me and the things I do for them.”
The Nicholson bunch includes Mark Jr., 26; Jenna, 23; Hayden, 17; and Mia, 13. Nineteen months ago, the family welcomed the newest addition: granddaughter Pheobe.
“I have experienced motherhood and now I am a grandmother. Sometime in the far, far away future I will be a great-grandmother,” the chef mused.
Nicholson said she always dreamed of being married and having a big family.
“Being a mom is the most rewarding thing in the world. The love I get from my children is the most precious gift of all,” she said.
And celebrating Mother’s Day preparing memorable meals suits her just fine, Nicholson said. “On Mother’s Day, let your mother bask in the ambience of family. Show her how much she means to you.” One bit of advice, however: “Don’t forget to clean up after you’ve cooked her breakfast, lunch or dinner.”
Chef Donna Nicholson is happy to serve others this Mother’s Day.
