Born: 10-08-33, Chicago, Illinois
Parents: Queenesther Blake Taylor and Edward Henry Taylor, Chicago natives
Spouse: LeRoy Walter Knowling, KC native and rib joint aficionado
Apprenticeship in Culinary Arts: At age 4, began learning to cook from her dad, a chef whose work history included major resort kitchens.
Food Specialties: Helen’s Pull-apart Bread and locally-coveted rolls; Major decorative cakes for celebrations (weddings, anniversaries, etc.); Chocolate truffles; all manner of great home cooking.
Art Specialties: Acrylic Painting in a range of subjects from abstract to figurative. Wood carving, particularly in walnut.
Entrepreneurship: Taylor-Knowling Originals (TKO), her personal studio.
Helen attended Chicago Academy of Medical Technology and became a Registered Medical Technologist in 1954. She married in 1958 and relocated to KC. There she worked as a technologist and later became Chief Technologist & Lab Manager in a variety of hospitals, doctors’ offices, and the blood bank in KC.
After retiring, she completed her BA in Studio Art and refocused on her original creative passions. She favors the work of impressionists, especially Monet and Manet, and often paints elements of her work in that style. How the wood carving sneaked in: The professor of her college Painting course regularly worked on large carvings in woods of his native Hawaii. Following her many queries about his impressive pieces, she one day found beside her easel a chunk of wood, a chisel, and a mallet. Professor Directo told her to make something; he advised her that the particular piece of wood would tell her what was within it, and that her task was to release that.
His gift had been a test of her mettle via one of the hardest woods, rarely used for carving; it took 3 classes just to get the bark off. The next semester, he asked her to take his sculpture class, where she became the sole female student. After gaining knowledge of woods and growing her love of sculpture, she requested a chainsaw for her Christmas gift for many years running before the family finally gave in and stopped buying perfume.
Note: One uses the chainsaw to rough out a large piece of wood before beginning hand work on it.
During his 20 years in the Army, Helen’s dad had lived and eaten around the world, including in the Philippines and Mexico. He instilled in his children an appreciation for world foods by preparing an uncommonly diverse home menu throughout their young lives in the 1940s and 50s. Helen loves all kinds of international cuisines and infused their influences in the cooking that Lance grew up with.
For many years she has volunteered as chef at a food pantry, cooking for up to 300. There are some homeless patrons who only visit the pantry when she is the scheduled chef.
Best food masquerade: Helen had LeRoy and their 3 kids eating liver for years (while agreeing with their friends that liver is yucky) by preparing it in her special way and terming it pepper steak. This worked until the kids were served traditional pepper steak for lunch late in middle school. In the end, they had to admit to enjoying liver.
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