We're excited to connect with our alumni through our Darlington Connects series. Today, we hear from Timothy Pakron ('05), blogger and author of the cookbook “Mississippi Vegan.”
I was so thrilled when I was asked to reach out to Timothy Pakron (‘05) to collaborate on a Darlington Connects blog post. Timothy, forever and always Timmy to me, was actually one of the very first students I recruited during the summer of 2002, right after I accepted a position as a head of house at Darlington. That story is one for another blog, but the short version is that it involved me introducing him to Schroeder’s New Deli’s famous fried mushrooms. I remain convinced to this day that the fried mushrooms sealed the deal!
It’s no surprise at all to me that Timmy has made creativity his life’s work. What is amazing to me is how he has used his creativity, ingenuity, and incredible work ethic to blend both his talents and passions into such a meaningful and fulfilling vocation. While at Darlington, Timmy was the head prefect of Inman House (now known as Neville House) and was active in the Darlington Players, journalism, photography, graphic design, and woodworking. He was also instrumental in planning some really great social events as a house leader and as a member of the House Senate (now called Student Council).
Read on below to learn more about Timmy’s journey to his dream career and how his time at Darlington influenced him along the way.
Tell us about how you got started in your career as a cookbook author and blogger?
My career as a cookbook author and blogger really fell into my lap. As it turns out, it just so happens to be my dream job (even though I didn’t know this when it all started). When I graduated from Darlington and went to the College of Charleston, I knew that I wanted to be creative and express myself as an artist. I got my first taste of this at Darlington taking graphic design and writing for the school newspaper. I even remember my friends Kim King and Mary Becca would let me style them and take their pictures (some even hung in the hallways for a period of time!) The creativity inside of me was always buzzing and I was eager to share it. That’s probably been the most consistent thing in my life.
During college, I majored in Studio Art, studying photography, oil painting, printmaking, and sculpture. This really taught me how to create a body of work and to have a cohesive theme. After college, I moved to NYC to pursue my career as an artist while also working what felt like dozens of other jobs; artist assistant, freelance photographer, restaurant server, and working at an Apple store in Manhattan.
When Instagram started to become more and more popular, a friend suggested that I start a food page where I share images of my recipes. So I thought of the name Mississippi Vegan, which merged my past and my present. I thought it was catchy and said, “Why not?” Once I started posting, the response was immediate. I quickly realized I needed to learn how to style food and take the most beautiful food pictures that I possibly could. Luckily, I had a strong art background and had been using a camera since I was 14.
Before I knew it, I had amassed a rather large online audience and I started a blog: mississippivegan.com. After only posting a few recipes to the blog, a literary agent reached out to me and asked if I wanted to write and photograph my own cookbook. I said yes and put together the proposal. Within two weeks, we had interest from several different publishers but the team at Avery of Penguin Random House won me over and the papers were signed. I then moved to Jackson, Miss., to write the cookbook, which took me a little over a year to write and photograph.
Once finished, I moved to New Orleans, where I now work from home and spend much of my time gardening. My first cookbook is now three years old and I am currently planning on writing my second one.
Share highlights from your Darlington experience.
Being a dorm student at Darlington was the best thing I could have ever done. It taught me how to be independent. I had to wake myself up, get to class on time, make sure to eat breakfast, do my laundry, and travel back and forth from Rome, Ga., to Gulfport, Miss., all by myself. At the time, I didn’t realize this was teaching me how to be an adult, which was a huge advantage when I arrived at college.
I remember the first day of College of Charleston all of my new roommates were there with their parents helping them make their beds and organize everything. I, on the other hand, told my parents not to come, arrived early, made my bed neatly, hung pictures on the walls, stocked the fridge with a few items I wanted, and headed out to meet friends for lunch before noon!
My time at Darlington gave me a fresh start as an individual and was the perfect environment for me to thrive. My head of house, Tara Inman, was a second mother to me. She believed in me and because of this, I wanted to make her proud. Being a prefect for the Inman house also made me realize that I was good at organizing events and making things happen. My time at Darlington was a very happy one and I wouldn’t be the human I am today without attending.
Share about the connections made at Darlington.
It’s so funny because I remember going to day students’ homes and cooking during my time as a dorm student. There are even a few recipes in the book that were inspired from my time living in Georgia. I actually created the Cheese Grits Casserole on page 49 while I was a senior at Darlington. I remember having the idea of incorporating grits with fresh corn and crumbling crunchy fritos on top as a garnish (3x the corn people!) I made it at my friend Mary Becca’s house, and it was a hit. That recipe stuck with me after all these years.
I also learned a lot about cooking from my friend Alex Palmour’s mother, Nina, where I would stay often. I included her bagels in the book (page 49) and I actually went back to Nina’s house while writing the cookbook to record the recipe and take pictures. The photograph on page 48 was taken in Cloudland, Ga.
I even have a recipe on the blog for my version of Brunswick Stew, which I first had in Rome, Ga., when I was just starting out at Darlington. Do any of y’all remember that little BBQ place with the picnic table on Broad Street by the cemetery? All of these connections stem from food so I’m sure it makes sense why I am a cookbook author now!
Any recommendations for someone interested in your career field?
My recommendation would be to learn how to express yourself as creatively and authentically as you can. Tap into what excites you and share what you know the best and love the most. If you can be the most authentic version of yourself that you can be, this will help to set you apart from the rest. Also, start writing down recipes and photographing them. If you don’t enjoy this process, then it’s not the career for you!
As part of the Darlington Connects would you be willing to talk with fellow alumni and students that are interested in your career field?
Sure! For anyone who is interested, please check out my blog at mississippivegan.com in addition to my cookbook, “Mississippi Vegan.” To connect with Timothy, please email connect@darlingtonschool.org.
Are you a member of Darlington Community (or do you know one) with an interesting career or community involvement? We'd love to spotlight you in a future blog! Please email connect@darlingtonschool.org if you are interested in being featured.
Photo of bagels from page 48.
Brunswick Stew mentioned in the blog.
