Missy's Story

...sharing the mountain way of life with the world.

I spent most of my life growing up in the mountains of Kentucky. I was born in Letcher County to Gene and Annie Fields at the Miner’s Memorial Hospital, later known at the Whitesburg Appalachian Regional Hospital. My Dad worked hard in the coal mines and my parents raised me in church. I’ve always been a dreamer and I’ve always loved to sing. I can remember my Dad picking me up so I could sing in church.

In 1990, I married Roger Jones. He had been the love of my life since I was 12 years old. Roger followed in my Dad’s footsteps. In 1997, he also began working in the mines. As any young family, we desired to have children, but the odds seemed impossible. In 2003, after nearly 13 years of marriage, our miracle baby was born. We named her McKenzie Hope. She was born the day after my 34th birthday! We had hoped and prayed for her arrival for many years and the Lord faithfully answered our prayers.

In 2007, life in the mountains began to change. The coal industry had flourished for many years, but a severe downturn hit the people of the Appalachia Mountains hard. Roger was laid off. Even though Letcher County had been my home for all of my life, we faced the hard reality that he had to find work. In 2007, we moved to Northern Kentucky and settled in a town called Independence. I still remember the day we drove the old gravel road on our way out of Tan Yard Holler. Looking in my rearview mirror, I could see my mom and dad sitting on the porch watching us leave.

I’ve always had a dream to share about my upbringing and culture with the world. In 2020, when friends and family encouraged me to begin sharing some of my recipes, I hesitated. I didn’t think anyone would be interested. But, after much coercion and consistent asking, I gave in and launched Mountain Cookin’ with Missy.

The name came from my roots in the mountains and my desire to share our culture and way of life with the rest of the world. Appalachia has its own flavor. It goes beyond “southern” and “southern cooking.” Appalachian folks take simple things and turn them into something great.

Fast-forward to the present, Mountain Cookin’ with Missy has now more than a half of million followers on social media. People from the UK to Australia to Canada are intrigued by our mountain way of life, our culture and our way of making great meals from the simplest of ingredients. They want to hear the stories and memories from this coal miner’s daughter. They want to experience life the way we knew it.

In 2022 I released my first cookbook. My mother’s influence resonates on every page. She transitioned to heaven the day before the book released. I’m sad that she didn’t get to see it. Nonetheless, her impact has been felt worldwide. The book remained on Amazon’s bestseller list for ten weeks straight and has been purchased by folks around the world.

Right now, there’s a lot of projects in the oven. We’ve launched a new YouTube channel, Instagram, TikTok and have a brand-new cookbook in the works. It will combine more mountain recipes along with special memoirs from my life in Tan Yard Holler.

This year, we’ve launched my first full length music album. I’ve recently returned from a three-day trip to Nashville working with some of the best musicians in the industry. I’m so excited for folks to hear these songs.

I’d never thought.I’d leave Letcher County. I liked going places, but always loved to return home. My heart is still there, even though I don’t live there anymore. Someone once said, “You can take the girl out of the mountains, but you can never take the mountains out of the girl.

My family and I are grateful for everything the Lord has done in our lives and the opportunity He has given us to share the mountain way of life with the world. But in my heart, I still love coming “home” to visit and will always think of Letcher County as my home.

Missy