A Go West Mom You Should Know: Renee Ferguson

Renee Ferguson is a wonderful example of a woman who decided to "seize the day.” 

For 14 years, she worked part-time an an expert on the Butterball Turkey-Talk Line, helping people get through their “turkey traumas” as she put it. But she also had a career in marketing, putting together a series of freelance jobs that allowed her to spend time with her three growing children. 

Renee Ferguson of Geneva is the author of "Talk Turkey to Me."When one of her jobs suddenly disappeared, and with no other prospects on the near horizon, Ferguson finally sat down and started putting together the cookbook her friends and relatives had urged her to write for years. The result is “Talk Turkey to Me: A Good Time in the Kitchen Talking Turkey and All the Trimmings," which was a finalist for the National Indie Excellence Book Awards. She has appeared on the Food Network's “Takedown With Bobby Flay” and has been quoted in a variety of national publications.

Ferguson, 58, and her husband Johann raised their children in Glen Ellyn but moved to Geneva five years ago. She says two of their three children - Erin, 27; Dallas, 25; and Kyle, 23 - are fabulous cooks and jokes the other will never starve.

Ferguson and her husband got married within six months of meeting each other, and they’ve now been married 36 years. “I don’t know how I ever made such a good decision at such a young age. He’s the love of my life,” she says. 

Read on to find out more about Ferguson and why we think she’s a Go West Mom You Should Know.

Q. How did you become part of the Butterball Turkey-Talk Line?

A I have a home economics degree, and part of the requirement for being on the Butterball talk line was to be a home economist. So when the job opportunity came up, I interviewed and was selected. 

I worked there for 14 years, handling people’s turkey traumas. People would call in with lots of very good questions. Everyone has a question and everyone seems to have a story about a Thanksgiving trauma of their own - whether it’s that they forgot the bag of giblets inside or they didn’t know how long to thaw the turkey or that they’ve never cooked a turkey before and their in-laws are coming over and they want to cook the perfect bird. 

Q. Why does Thanksgiving inspire such nerves among cooks and result in such funny stories?

A. At Thanksgiving, even if you don’t cook at any other time of the year, everybody wants to be a Martha Stewart-type on that day. They want to get very adventuresome and are very uncertain how to do a lot of things.  

People are so used to seeing just a small piece of meat, a boneless, skinless piece of something that doesn’t even look like a piece of meat. And then they get his whole big turkey and they totally panic because they don’t know what to do with it. We’re far enough removed from those generations where they knew how to make the gravy and they knew how to pluck the feathers! So they don’t know what to do to make a very basic meal. A turkey is one of the most easy things to prepare, but it sends shivers down people’s spines because of the size and the extra parts that are included inside the turkey. 

Q. What is one of the craziest questions you ever got when you were on the line?

A. There were were so many! But one of my favorites was when a guy called and he didn’t realize that you had to thaw the turkey. So it’s Thanksgiving morning, and he calls and he’s like “What do I do now?” Now you can start to cook them frozen, which is kind of a lifesaver. I gave him the directions on how to cook from frozen, which of course they’re in the cookbook as well. And he was cute, because he at least knew enough that to really properly cook a turkey, you need to make sure to have a meat thermometer - it eliminates a lot of the guesswork. He  said, "I have a power drill. Do I need to drill a hole in the turkey to put the meat thermometer in?” I said, “No, It’s OK to wait until it thaws out a little bit.”

Q. Any tips for Go West readers on cooking a turkey?

A. You don’t have to wash the turkey. You just simply drain the turkey and put it on the roasting rack and either brush the skin with oil, or I like to use a cooking spray because then I don’t have a nasty brush to clean. And put it in the oven, and any bacteria that is present on the turkey will be killed in the coking process. Then you’re not splashing juices everywhere and cleaning up the floor, cleaning up the counter, bringing in your fresh lettuce salad after washing the turkey. All the bacteria will be killed during the cooking process. 

Q. How did the idea for the cookbook come about?

A. Well, when I worked for Butterball, I always worked Thanksgiving Day and then afterward I would go to my cousin's house or sister's house and take a side dish and tell them these crazy stories, like that someone didn’t even know you could freeze turkey leftovers.

Everybody would say, "You should write a book, you should write a book!" I was doing a gig that had a very long freelance life (but then the job dried up). I was out of a job. I just thought if I don’t do this now - even just attempt it - I’ll never do it. People say they’ll do things and they never get around to it. I didn’t want life to get in the way and never get around to writing it. My kids were always away at school, so I would just put blocks down and work on it and rework it and rework it some more. It took about a year to actually write the whole book, and then about another year to get it published. I’ve had such incredible successes. I’ve had such incredible opportunities because of the book.

Q. What do you like about how the cookbook turned out?

A. My interest in writing the book was to share a lot of the funny stories with a lot of how-tos, so people have the confidence on how to cook the perfect holiday meal. The recipes themselves are all tried and true. It’s as if you are looking through my recipe box. They are fabulous recipes that are easy to work with using the ingredients you have - nothing unusual that you have to run to he store for. But it is food that is fabulous whether for a holiday or anytime during the year. ... The book is like having mom in the kitchen with you.

Q. Do you have advice for someone else in between jobs or dreaming of writing a book or some other big project?

A. Seize the day. Even if it hadn’t have gone anywhere, it was an education to do all the work. As long as you’re learning, it’s a lifelong process. There are things you can take to whatever your next job is. It gives you a sense of purpose and a springboard to other opportunities. I was even featured on the back of the Hefty roasting pan labels - that was amazing. That was quite an endorsement!

Q. What part of the Thanksgiving meal could you just not do without?

A. I have to have mashed potoates. And I have to have gravy. I love all the sides. To me, the turkey is really the backdrop to all the wonderful sides that there are!

Q. Do you have advice for novice cooks?

A. My advice is if you can read, you can cook. There are just a few terms: mixing, we all know that means, blending. Don’t be afraid of following a recipe, and don’t be afraid of adjusting the seasoning to your taste. That’s a key to being a good cook, is adjusting the seasoning. I love pepper, so I put a lot of pepper in things I make. If you don’t like things as sweet, hold back on the sugar. Trust your own instincts in knowing what you like and then being able to make it.

Q. Your children are grown now, but do you have any words of wisdom for women with young children at home?

A. Cook with your children. The house we had where they were growing up had this wonderful island in the middle. ... When they were at the counter, I would have them do something for me. When their friends came over, they weren’t immune from helping, either. People really want to help. Kids want to help. If you make them part of the process, they are more than likely want to try to eat it.  And second, you will be doing them a life service. They have to eat,  they might as well know how to cook and cook well.

Editor’s Note: You can buy “Talk Turkey to Me” on Amazon and as an ebook. In Geneva, it is available at The Little Traveler, the Spice House, Olive Mill, and soon at Great Harvest. And in case you worry that you’ve missed the season for it, Ferguson promises “this is a cookbook that you will use throughout the year.” I’m sure my copy will be well worn by next Thanksgiving!