Roberta Flack, All Ears
The two-time Grammy winning pop and soul singer, famous for hits like “Killing Me Softly with His Song” and “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face,” was born in Black Mountain.

Are there any unusual recipes in your family? My family is heavy on the African but also heavy on the American and the Cherokee Indian, so I know lots of recipes that deal with corn… We had fresh fried corn, and then you added vegetables like green and red peppers. And then of course, having grown up on a pig farm, we would add some fatback oil or some bacon. Then add some tomatoes and grits on the side. It’s all very fattening… There are things you can do with corn that would make you smack your mama or grandmama.

What are some of your favorite foods now? These days my favorite recipes have to do with vegetables. I have two incredible juices I drink. I juice myself into oblivion. That’s why I’m able to get up in the morning and think straight. That’s why I’m still working… Fresh mango and orange juice—there is nothing better.

Roberta Flack’s Simple Southern Cornbread
 1 box corn muffin mix
 1 stick butter
 1 half-pint container of sour cream
 1 can sweet cream corn
Mix all ingredients, bake in a greased baking pan at 375 degrees for 45 minutes.

Eliza Lynn
Please Pass the Saltines
The 31-year-old singer-songwriter, who splits time between Asheville and Nashville, got a break in 2007 when the Putumayo World Music label included her track “Sing A New Song” on their compilation disc Americana. She just released a new album, Haven, in May. Though she tries to eat healthy, she has a thing for cheap crackers.

What are your favorite comfort foods? Saltines. I have a saltine problem. Sometimes I can’t even have them in the house I go through so many of them. A lot of times I just eat them plain. I find that if you can get the cheaper variety, super fresh, they are the best.

Any guilty pleasure foods? In high school, I would take an entire package of saltines to school and eat the whole thing by the end of the day. That was extreme. I was at my max.

Anything besides saltines? I go through periods where I just want to eat beef. I used to be a vegetarian, but I just want to go eat a hamburger sometimes. Or buy ground beef.

Any disasters you’ve experienced with food? Dishes you’ve tried to prepare that didn’t work so well? I got a failing notice in Foods For You, a class in high school. I was a pretty good student, but I couldn’t boil a hot dog. I had no proficiency whatsoever in cooking… The fact is, I love burnt stuff. I’m an extreme bottom-feeder. It is just how I like food. I had a boyfriend who would go, “Awww…you burnt it,” when I would make food. Then he realized that’s when things were finished.

Laura Reed and Deep Pocket
Once Out of Pocket, Now Expecting
When we interviewed Laura Reed, she was eight months pregnant with a baby boy—or so she thought. The night before the interview, she dreamt she delivered a baby girl. Such a mix-up wouldn’t surprise the momma-to-be. Her own mother was expecting a boy when Laura arrived.

What is the weirdest craving you’ve ever gotten? Chicken wings and milkshakes. I was eating that combination a lot. I would tell my husband, “Take me to Hooters, I need chicken wings now!”

What is your specialty dish or your family’s signature cooking style? My mom is from Durban, South Africa, and I’m from Johannesburg, so I grew up cooking curry with her and my grandmother. We would just cook with whatever was fresh at the time: fish, chicken, lentils, sweet potatoes, carrots, kale.

How would you compare your eating habits from a year ago to now? Last year, I was doing 20 shows a month and eating whatever healthy road food I could find at a gas station. Since I’ve been pregnant, I get sick at the thought of processed food. My body is a lot pickier. I used to love tomato sauce and black beans, but now they make me sick.

Stephanie Morgan of stephaniesid
Cereal Killer

Stephanie Morgan returned to Asheville in late June after a Midwest tour to show off Warm People, an album her band released in May. Although Morgan makes indie rock look effortless, some things in the kitchen still trip her up.

What’s a dish you just can’t get right? Pie crusts. My mom can make such beautiful homemade pie crusts, but I just don’t know how to make pretty food.

Comfort foods? My husband and I eat brunch all day long. And I probably eat five or six bowls of cereal a day.
What is your favorite Asheville restaurant? The Tomato Cocina Latina on Patton Avenue. And I love good Tex-Mex restaurants. I have an aunt from New Mexico who makes incredible homemade tortillas and sopapillas.

Any recipes you’d like to share? Well, my first recipe was for applesauce, which I shared with my kindergarten class: one apple, some water and three cups of sugar. Man, I love sugar! My husband and I have stopped eating wheat, so we are trying to bake without it, which is quite a challenge.