Being incarcerated isn’t on most peoples’ list of good ways to spend time.
But while they’re “inside” in Texas County, jail inmates at least eat pretty well. Mountain Grove resident Joanna Combs helps see to that.
A veteran of about 30 years of institutional cooking, Combs has produced meals at Texas County’s jail for five years.
“This is the fewest people I’ve cooked for,” she said. “It’s like cooking for family.”
Combs can say that. The eastern Kentucky native began her career cooking for many years at the headquarters of Cummins Diesel Engines in Columbus, Ind., and went on to cook at a nursing home and even a casino.
“At Cummins, you might have 500 people one day and the next day you might have 1,000,” Combs said.
Thursdays through Sundays at the Texas County Jail, Combs fixes three meals a day for anywhere from about 50 to 80 inmates. Last Thursday, she was prepping Chinese cabbage and green onions for a stir-fry dish to feed close to 60.
The vegetables she was washing and cutting were grown in jail’s own garden, located in a high tunnel greenhouse on the grounds of the Texas County Justice Center in Houston. The garden is the only one of its kind in Missouri, and crops are planted, nurtured and harvested by inmates under the guidance of Texas County Master Gardners Verlin and Doris Altom.
Combs said she loves being able to get her hands on fresh produce it produces.
“We don’t buy a lot of fresh vegetables because the county’s budget doesn’t allow for it,” she said. “But I prefer to use fresh vegetables – I got used to that at Cummins because they wouldn’t let me use canned goods and I had to order my own fresh vegetables, herbs and spices.
“My supervisors there really taught me well. They worked right beside me, and if there was something I didn’t understand, they would show me how to do it – and if I could see how it was supposed to be, I would have no problem doing it myself.”
Over time, Combs has compiled many recipes in her personal repertoire, and county inmates consume her version of everything from biscuits and gravy, to chili-cheese potatoes and homemade pizza.
“I love creating my own recipes,” she said. “I just love cooking, period, and I love having a job that lets me cook.”
Combs said in addition to utilizing items grown in the jail garden, the jail also accepts donations of fresh, locally grown vegetables.
“If someone has something extra, they can bring it to the jail and we’ll gladly take it,” she said. “The more we can get, the better. It saves the county money and it gives me something fresh to work with.”
Cooking at the jail gives Combs the satisfaction of seeing people enjoy her work, even if it means working within less-than-perfect parameters.
“If I can cook something and hear good things from the corrections officers and inmates, it makes me happy,” she said. “I don’t always get to cook things I want, but it’s a jail – there’s a budget we have to work with, and I think we do a great job of that.”
Combs isn’t just a meal ticket at the jail. She has even been known to do a little counseling with inmates.
“I never talk down to them,” she said. “I just tell them they have the chance to make their own choices and maybe some they’ve made haven’t been so good – I mean look where it’s gotten you. I also like to point out that when you end up in jail, it hurts people close to you, so it’s good to take other people into consideration in every way you can.
“I just like to help them feel like they can do better – everyone can always do better.”
Sheriff James Sigman said Combs has performed well during a time of transition and is a valued asset to his department.
“Over the last couple of years there have been many changes in the operation of the jail and the kitchen,” Sigman said. “Joanna has always adapted to the change and done her part to make the kitchen in the jail run smoothly and efficiently. She takes great pride in her work and seems to enjoy working in the kitchen and open to new ideas.
“Joanna is a great addition to the team at the Texas County Jail.”
The Texas County Master Gardeners conducted a food handling safety course earlier this year, and Combs attended. The Altoms are both big fans of her work.
“I’ve used some of her recipes,” Doris said. “They’re fantastic. I’ve heard some of the inmates say things like, ‘I could never eat cabbage, but I could eat that.’”
“They ate my leftovers,” Combs said.
“We’re very lucky to have her here in Texas County,” Verlin Altom said. “She does a great job, and we only harvest from the garden when she’s here, because we know things will be used to their utmost.”
I’ve used some of her recipes. They’re fantastic.”