New Kent couple parlays lessons learned in kitchen into book

New Kent authors Wilma and Tom English have used lessons learned in the kitchen to create books on understanding cultural and social differences.

Andre Jones photo

In today’s time, interaction among people continues to be at the forefront as tension tends to mount over a variety over factors that include ethnicity, religion, and social standing. For one New Kent couple, lessons learned in the kitchen led them to write a book with the intention to understand all people, no matter the background.

Wilma and Tom English are the authors of “Angel in the Kitchen.” The book consists of what the couple deem meaningful and fruitful lessons to learn from each other.

“It started when we were young as we both wrote for our high school newspaper and yearbook,” said Wilma, a former Spanish and multicultural relations teacher at New Kent High School. “In 2001, a series of events forced us to reassess our lives.

“We both had a dream of writing books and we decided to pursue that dream,” she concluded.

The couple began to come up with concepts for the book, with a focal emphasis on helping others in need and bringing together different cultures and social backgrounds. With publications from Tom printed in 2007 focusing on fiction and fantasy, the couple diligently worked to find that tying notch to bring the concept together. And then, it hit Wilma.

“I was messing with the cutlery in the kitchen and having a conversation when I realized the knife didn’t fit in the proper slot,” she said, referencing talks about how a pastor presented more of a teaching philosophy than a preaching one. “That’s when I made the connection that certain things belong in places for a reason.”

With the discovery, the couple worked to receive feedback from literary agents. Those agents advised the couple to launch a website (www.angelatthedoor.com) to get the concept out. That website launched on a day that was important to the duo.

“We launched the website on Martin Luther King’s day in 2014,” said Wilma. “We did that because we both had a dream.

“We are also firm believers in what King said about his message on unity,” she continued. “People shouldn’t judge you by the color of your skin, but by your character.”

Particularly, the book revolved around many analogies, including one that Tom said is an easy one to relate to.

“You can take the concept of everybody being eggs,” he said. “On the outside, there are many colors, many shades, and many sizes but on the inside when you crack it, the yolk is all the same.”

The couple developed that concept into a ministry of hospitality.

“When we first got to New Kent, one thing that bothered us was that Sunday was a segregated day of the week,” Tom said, speaking how the couple looked for an integrated church. “Growing up in Hampton, it was a transient and transitional environment.”

The couple, who have resided in New Kent for 22 years, opened their doors to families of different backgrounds for dinner in the very kitchen that inspired their book. The gathering has put many different groups of people together and opened up communication among people.

“You see older folks interacting with younger folks and you have people of different races coming in and finding out more about others,” Wilma said. “When I worked at New Kent High School, I used to invite teachers to come over and they accepted and we had a good time together.”

With the book completed and available, the couple is hoping to convey the message as well as be readable material.

“I wanted it to be entertaining and approachable,” said Tom. “I try to bring techniques that I used in fiction and transfer it to non-fiction.”

“The book is a reflection of who we are,” added Wilma. “I want people to have a better relationship with God. I want to have a message of unity and culture diversity among all people.”

“It all starts by stepping back and understanding where all people come from,” chimed in Tom. “You need to see where people come from and their background, no matter the culture, diversity, or denomination.”

As far as the couple’s authoring career, they have another one in the works that they hope leads to more bonding among people.

“It’s never too late for a dream,” said Wilma.

The book is available on the couple’s website, and also through major book distributors including Amazon, Books-a-Million, and Barnes & Noble. The book is currently on the shelves at the Barnes & Noble located in the Newtown area of Williamsburg.