A Taste of Haldimand: January 15, 2026

By Marie Fagan Peart | marie@haldimandpress.com

Mary Kent

Growing up in a large family, Mary Kent said everyone was expected to help out in the kitchen. Her parents, Jim and Joyce Burgess, had 10 children, of which Mary is the fourth in line. The family lived outside of Hagersville on a dairy farm. It would have been a busy household for sure. Mary remembers her 4-H clubs as the place where she learned a lot about cooking and baking. She never minded cooking, but it’s the planning of the meals that she doesn’t like to do.

Mary comes from a long line of bakers. Her mother took a cake decorating course and often made cakes for people in the community. Her carrot cake was well known. Joyce made all the wedding cakes for her grandchildren. They would often make a special request: one layer had to be her carrot cake. Mary’s grandmother, Catherine Barker, was famous for her apple pies. At a charity auction, the bids for her pies reached upwards of $80 to $100! Mary tried to make those pies but admits they certainly did not measure up. She recalled a time when she used all-purpose flour instead of pastry flour. You almost needed a chainsaw to cut the pie!

Mary now resides in Cayuga with her husband Jim Kent. They have three daughters, Nicole, Nadine, and Natasha, with extended family including husbands and five grandchildren. Jim retired before Mary, so he started to spend more time in the kitchen cooking. There were a lot of pasta dishes in those early days! Mary still works casually but the couple find time to curl weekly with the Haldimand Curling Club and take time to travel.

I requested the cheese bread recipe after having enjoyed it at a luncheon get-together. The ham-cheese breakfast casserole is a family favourite. One of her daughters requests it every time she comes home for a visit. Enjoy!