Weekly Smile: A Familiar Voice Joins Highlands Insider Drucilla Ray

This week’s Weekly Smile shines on someone many readers have welcomed into their homes for years through her recipes, stories and words of encouragement, longtime columnist and storyteller Drucilla Ray, who begins sharing her column with Highlands Insider readers this week.

A Monterey native and former UT Extension food and nutrition educator, Ray has spent more than 30 years connecting with readers through food, faith, humor and everyday life.

“I realized it was a calling from the Lord,” Ray shared. “To go into people’s homes every week with food, encouragement, a funny story or something uplifting.”

What began years ago as a small cooking column request from a local newspaper eventually became a meaningful ministry of sorts, one built around recipes, storytelling and community connection.

Over the years, Ray says some of her most memorable columns were not necessarily about food at all, but about life.

One story that still stands out happened while she sat in the hospital waiting for her husband George to undergo open-heart surgery. Unsure what to write for her weekly column, a friend encouraged her to simply tell readers what was happening in that moment.

During the wait, a hospital fire alarm unexpectedly went off, and white particles drifted down from the ceiling.

“There was such a calm peace in the room,” Ray recalled. “You could feel people praying.”

The heartfelt column brought overwhelming responses from readers who appreciated being included in such a personal moment.

Ray says she still enjoys sharing old Southern favorites the most, the recipes people grew up with and continue asking for years later.

“I always tell people to get their frying pan out,” Ray said with a laugh as the conversation turned to Southern cooking and comfort food traditions.

At the same time, she also enjoys including healthier recipes and diabetic-friendly options when possible, often praying for direction before preparing each week’s column.

Outside the kitchen, Ray enjoys local summer concerts, evenings under the stars and spending time with friends and family. A former high school drummer, she still loves live music and community gatherings.

As she joins Highlands Insider, Ray says readers can expect “something fun, joyful and uplifting” each week.

Her favorite reminder comes from Scripture:

“The joy of the Lord is my strength.”

And for readers across the Upper Cumberland, that joy, along with a smile, a story and something good to eat, will now arrive each week through Highlands Insider.