Spring Council Honors Her Mother, Mama Dip, in a New Cookbook Memoir

Mama Dip’s daughter Spring Council reflects on the beloved community icon’s legacy in a new cookbook memoir, serving up Southern dishes alongside the stories that have shaped her as a chef and author

By Rebekah Mann | Photography by Anna Routh Barzin

Always use the freshest ingredients. The difference between using Parmesan versus Parmesan-Reggiano can make a dish. It takes patience to perfect a recipe. “Keep trying,” Mildred “Mama Dip” Council would encourage her daughter Spring Council. These reminders were more than cooking advice for Spring – when combined, they became the recipe for growing into the chef, author and person she is today.

Mama Dip was the visionary behind West Rosemary Street’s iconic Mama Dip’s Kitchen, a staple in Chapel Hill since 1976. Although Spring’s mother died in 2018 at 89 and the restaurant closed last year, Mama Dip’s community-loving spirit and legacy of superb Southern comfort food continue to flourish through generations of the Council family.

Spring, her daughter, Tonya Council – founder of Tonya’s Cookies – and other family members were all taught how to cook by Mama Dip, but the lessons she instilled in each of them go beyond technique in the kitchen. In Spring’s new cookbook, “Southern Roots: Recipes and Stories from Mama Dip’s Daughter,” she recounts her inherited knowledge and memories that inspired her new collection of original recipes. “While [the recipes] honor my roots, I’ve added new layers of flavor to create something fresh that reflects the bounty of the South today,” she says.

A WRITER’S ROUX

Spring originally began with the idea of writing a book on entertaining at home in 2015, but that manuscript was met with rejection. So she put her writing on hold until 2022 when her close friend, Marcie Cohen Ferris, professor emeritus at UNC and former president of the Southern Foodways Alliance, suggested she shift her concept to a culinary memoir. At first, Spring says she had reservations about whether anyone would want to read her story, but after encouragement from Marcie and other friends, she gained confidence in how her lived experiences set her apart. “I realized that people don’t just want a recipe, they want the stories behind it,” she says.

The personal narratives she highlights throughout the book tie together aspects of growing up as a Black woman in Chapel Hill, featuring recognizable locations like the Northside community, Franklin Street and more. One chapter, “Forbidden Flavors,” serves to convey the resilience of Chapel Hill’s Black community during the Jim Crow era, as well as the lessons she took away from that point in history. “I really like that I was able to create the space to not only talk about the negative part but also what came out of [it] that was good,” she says.

PERFECT SERVE

Southern Roots also explores Spring’s love for thrifting vintage tableware, and items from her personal collection are showcased throughout the photography. Much like
how these recipes remind her of growing up, Spring says the thrill of finding classic serveware connects her to the history behind each piece she discovers. The process of assembling a decorative table, she says, creates the perfect inviting atmosphere for guests to share their own stories over a meal. “Everybody loves to be at a beautiful table setting,” she says. “It makes them feel special, and I just hope through my book, people will start to bring people back to the table.”

ASPARAGUS, BACON AND PARMESAN OMELET PIE | Serves 6

FOR THE FILLING
11⁄2 pounds asparagus, trimmed
4 thick slices of bacon, diced
8 eggs
1⁄4 cup milk 1
1⁄4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1⁄4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
1⁄2 cup soft breadcrumbs
1 unbaked 9- inch pie shell (recipe follows)

FOR THE PIE CRUST
1 cup all- purpose flour
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold
3 tablespoons ice-cold water

TO MAKE THE FILLING
Preheat the oven to 375 F. Slice the asparagus 1-inch thick on the diagonal, leaving the tips whole. Fry the bacon in a medium skillet on mediumhigh heat until it is crispy, 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain on paper towels and set it aside. Beat the eggs and milk together in a large bowl. Add the Parmesan cheese, asparagus, bacon,
parsley and breadcrumbs. Stir to combine.

TO MAKE THE PIE CRUST

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter until coarse crumbs form. Add the water and mix everything together to form a soft dough.
2. Gather the dough, press it into a ball, and then flatten it into a disk. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes or up to two days. Lightly flour a work surface and roll half of the dough out into a 1⁄8-inch-thick round. Press the dough into a 9-inch pie plate. Place in the refrigerator until ready to use.
3. Remove the dough from the refrigerator. Lightly flour a work surface and roll half of the dough out into a 1⁄8-inch-thick round. Press the dough into a 9-inch pie plate. Place in the refrigerator until ready to use.

TO ASSEMBLE
Pour the filling mixture into the pie shell and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until it is puffy in the center.

EXCERPTED FROM “SOUTHERN ROOTS: RECIPES AND STORIES FROM MAMA DIP’S DAUGHTER” BY ANITA “SPRING” COUNCIL, COPYRIGHT ©2026, REPRINTED BY PERMISSION OF COUNTRYMAN PRESS, AN IMPRINT OF W. W. NORTON & CO., INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED