About Gena Knox
A native of a small town in middle Georgia, Gena Knox’s foray into the kitchen came at a young age. Her daily chores included helping her mom with the family’s meals. As she got older, she began to experiment and learn how to put her stamp on traditional meals. Influenced by her mom’s love of cooking, the abundance of fresh produce from the garden and the fact that all good meals in her area were home-cooked, Gena embraced all things food and was set on her culinary path.
Today, that culinary path has led Gena to author her newest cookbook, "Southern My Way: Simple Recipes, Fresh Flavors," which was released in November of 2010. Southern My Way is a compilation of recipes for traditional Southern dishes that have been updated with a lighter, healthier approach and focus on the use of local ingredients. With more than 250 pages of full-color photographs and seasonal recipes that have been streamlined for buy lives, this cookbook takes home cooks on a journey through both the South that Gena grew up in and the South she knows today.
This cookbook is a follow-up to her first cookbook, "Gourmet Made Simple," published in May 2008. Both of her books share her true passion for food and help ease the challenge of cooking for home chefs.
On top of publishing her second cookbook, Gena currently is in charge of recipe development at Fire & Flavor, a food products company she founded with her husband. Since their start in 2003, the married couple has grown to sell products in over 12,000 grocery and hardware chains nationwide.
The company was named in Inc. Magazine’s annual Inc. 500 ranking of the fastest-growing private companies in the country; ranked number 264 in the overall list and number 8 in the Top 100 Food & Beverage Companies. Additionally, in 2008 Gena was chosen by Georgia Trend magazine as a finalist in their 40 Under 40 list, which represents “the best and brightest among the rising young leaders” in Georgia. Gena was also invited to be in the Leadership Georgia Program class of 2009, which builds leadership training among young business, civic, and community leaders.
