Aunt Flora of Aunt Flora’s House of Soul (7207 Montgomery Road, Silverton, 513-791-7437) is not only a CityBeat favorite but a bona fide celebrity. She (and her famous cobblers) have appeared on The Martha Stewart Show, and recently she was a contestant on Oprah Winfrey’s Search for America’s Next TV Star. While Aunt Flora didn’t get her own show on the OWN Network, Oprah’s loss remains Cincinnati’s gain because we still get to salivate over Flora’s delicious, but healthy, Southern cooking. Whether you have whiting, meatloaf, mac ‘n cheese or collard greens and cabbage, be sure to save room for the truly amazing fruit cobblers for dessert.
We had a chance to catch up with Aunt Flora recently. After dishing on some of the behind-the-scenes info from her Hollywood experience, she told us that, since her return, she has written a cookbook and is looking for a publisher.
And you might still see her on TV yet — Aunt Flora remains committed to her goal of hosting her own television cooking show. You listening, Food Network?
CityBeat: What was the last great meal you ate and where did you eat it?
Aunt Flora: I love soul food and Southern dishes, but I’m a seafood fanatic. Believe it or not but I really love Red Lobster. It suits my palate, my pocketbook and my cravings. I love the Steak & Lobster, their lobster pizza and the Linguine Alfredo, but the best things are the biscuits, of course.
CB: What did you learn from Oprah? Would you do it (the TV competition) again?
AF: Oprah taught me that hard work gets you what you want. You have to go out there and never give up. Yes, I probably would do it all over again because of the exposure and the fact that I was able to live like a Rock star for six weeks!