Dolly Parton grew up focusing on ‘God, music and food’

Dolly Parton and her younger sister, Rachel Parton George, are giving fans a peek at what it was like growing up in their family.

During an interview with Allrecipes, the sisters explained that the inspiration behind “Good Lookin’ Cookin'” focused on their family’s three core values: “God, music and food.”

“God, music and food were the three big things in our family,” Parton told the outlet.

Dolly Parton and her younger sister Rachel have teamed up for a cookbook. (Jim Wright)

The Southern-style recipe book includes heartwarming family stories, like what reminds the country music legend of home.

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“I think home tastes like Mama,” Parton said. “I think you always link those childhood memories with certain childhood foods that you love and the people that prepare them for you.”

“God, music and food were the three big things in our family.”

— Dolly Parton

She continued, “I cook more like Mama — a handful of this, a handful of that. Rachel is also very creative, but she wants to make sure it’s going to taste good, too — she’s not as sloppy as I am.” 

The “Jolene” singer-songwriter explained that cooking and creating music always went hand-in-hand for her. 

Dolly Parton and Rachel Parton George are featured on the cover of Allrecipes’ October issue. (Jim Wright)

“It’s just being creative, like writing a song,” Parton said. “Some of my best songs I came up with while cooking my best food, and vice versa. The better I write, the better I cook.”

Specific dishes that will be included in the sisters’ cookbook, which is set for release on Tuesday, are: Hot Wing Dip, Family Favorite Meatloaf, Slaw of Many Colors, Light My Fire Banana Foster and Fried Chicken and Gravy.

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When Parton was asked what song of hers reminded her of her Hot Wing Dip, it was “Jolene.”

Dolly Parton and Rachel Parton George’s cookbook focuses on their family’s three values. (Jim Wright)

“Oh, something spicy — like our Hot Wing Dip,” George said. “That woman was just hungry for my man. It’s not in the cookbook, but it’s in the song,” Parton explained.

Parton has a lot on her plate, professionally. In June, the star announced that she plans on bringing “Hello, I’m Dolly” to Broadway. She is writing new songs to go along with some of her past hits and co-writing a stage story inspired by her life for a musical that she hopes to land on Broadway in 2026.

Dolly Parton and Rachel Parton George’s “Good Lookin’ Cookin'” is set to be published on Tuesday. (Jim Wright)

“I’ve written many original songs for the show and included all your favorites in it as well. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll clap, you’ll stomp, it truly is a Grand Ol’ Opera. Pun and fun intended,” she said in a statement at the time.

This won’t be the first time Parton’s music will be heard on Broadway. A stage version of “9 to 5” bowed in 2009 starring Stephanie J. Block, Megan Hilty and Allison Janney, and the 1993 Christmas special “Candles, Snow & Mistletoe” contained her song “With Bells On.”

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Parton got her big break in 1967, when she joined the popular TV variety series “The Porter Wagoner Show.” She has since become a national treasure, starring in movies, writing books, earning Grammys, becoming the first country artist to be named MusiCares Person of the Year and donating $1 million for coronavirus research.

Dolly Parton is working on bringing “Hello, I’m Dolly” to Broadway in 2026. (Bridget Bennett/AFP via Getty Images)

With 52 Grammy nominations and 11 wins, she is the second-most nominated woman in Grammy history, only behind Beyoncé, who has 79 nods and 24 wins. The country icon received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award a decade ago.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.