The timeworn neon sign on Highway 100 southwest of Nashville simply says “Cafe Loveless Hot Biscuits Country Ham.” It should say “the iconic place for country food,” the place you can come home to, even if you’ve never been there before. Started 60 years ago by Annie and Lon Loveless (“loveless” isn’t, as I was sure, a country music comment on romance gone bad), the name has stuck through good and not-so-good times. But since it was bought in 2004 and spiffed up in every way, the Loveless has attracted crowds of country connoisseurs, native and otherwise. Adding a fabulous array of traditional Southern desserts to the time-honored menu was a major part of the spiff-up, and adding Alisa Huntsman as queen of confections was a culinary coup. With true Southern hospitality, Alisa offers us her trove of recipes in Desserts from the Famous Loveless Cafe. Although your mama may never have baked a Double Coconut Cream Pie, Blueberry Skillet Cobbler or Lady Lemon Squares, the Loveless legacy is now yours.
Valiant Women is a vital and engrossing attempt to correct the record and rightfully celebrate the achievements of female veterans of World War II.
