February 14, 2020

It’s been said that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach – and Torey Tolson, analyst, Community Involvement, is a strong believer in that adage. In fact, she’s taken it to a new level with her cookbook, A Way to a Man’s Heart – Food: The Sixth Language of Love, which was published in 2019.

“When I’m not at work or volunteering in the community, I indulge in my passion outside of the office, which is food and relationships,” said Torey.

A Southern girl at heart, Torey hails from Zachary, La., right outside of Baton Rouge.

“Our Southern traditions, such as cooking a nice homemade meal every Sunday and creating delicious recipes from simple ingredients, are important to me,” she said. “I think it’s great to show your family your love through meals made especially for them.”

And, according to Torey, cooking can also be a family affair.

“Sometimes my husband, Lawrence, and son, Xavier, will help me cook. Xavier will stir ingredients and Lawrence serves as sous chef. It’s a wonderful way to have even more quality family time.”

Married for eight years, Torey frequently speaks to women and couples on relationship goals and winning as a marital team.

“I just speak from personal experience and from exposure to my siblings who collectively have 95 years of marriage between them. I plan to take a relationship certification course this summer,” she said.

Torey and Lawrence also created a podcast, You Just Aren’t Listening, which explores pitfalls affecting relationships and topics that could have been avoided if couples just listen. It is set to release this summer.

Recipe for Success​

After Torey’s family and friends encouraged her to share her culinary creations, she soon found herself doing a weekly cooking tutorial, Fast and Fancy, on Facebook.

“Fast and Fancy offers recipes that are quick, easy, tasty and look like they were prepared in a restaurant,” said Torey. “We shouldn’t have to sacrifice good homecooked meals because we’re too busy or tired to cook after a long day at work.”

Motivated by the success of Fast and Fancy, Torey decided to write a book to share her cooking inspiration. A Way to a Man’s Heart is filled not only with recipes but also affirmations and tips on how to make preparing meals an expression of your love.

“When you think about it, nearly every important event in life involves food. Amidst the sadness at a funeral or the joyful bliss of a wedding, food is a common equation. For me, cooking is my quiet happy time – and I want to share that with others.”

Through Fast and Fancy and the publication of her book, Torey caught the attention of Tiana Von Johnson, publisher and chief editor of Women Doing It Big (WDIB) magazine. WDIB is a print magazine and social media platform that highlights, motivates and educates women worldwide to build their businesses, communities and families through entrepreneurship.

Johnson invited Torey to serve as a panelist and honoree at WDIB’s 2019 Fearless Women Rock Awards Luncheon and Conference in Mahwah, N.J. In addition, Torey was profiled in the Fall/Winter 2019 issue of WDIB, along with an article she contributed dealing with relationship challenges.

Stirring Up More Fun

Exciting events are still on tap for Torey. She’ll appear on a northeast Ohio PBS station in March promoting her book and Facebook tutorial, and she has a number of speaking engagements lined up. She’s also working on a new book featuring classic Southern recipes.

“In addition to having a fulfilling career at a great company such as FirstEnergy, I’ve also been able to indulge in my lifelong dream. Life is pretty good!”

Torey (second l.) addresses the audience at the WDIB conference.​

​ Torey’s book signing event was a hit.​​

​​ Torey prepares one ​of her recipes.