Elk River woman's cottage cheese bread recipe etched on headstone
ELK RIVER, Minn. — Charleen Sand died from Alzheimer's disease in 2020.
"She was the best of us. She's so funny, her humor, her spirit. It's amazing, she will forever be missed," said Allyson Sand, Charleen's stepdaughter.
The heartbreak of losing a loved one still lingers in Allyson Sand's life.
"It hurts to know my youngest will never get to know her because he is only 13. She got sick before he was even born. I get choked up not having her in my children's life," Allyson Sand said.
In a bid to memorialize her stepmother's legacy, the family set out to Two Monument's owner Julia Gustafson.
"When Char passed, they wanted to do something that was special for them. When she comes in with a recipe card in hand she goes, 'We want to put Chars' recipe on there,' Gustafson said.
For Gustafson, giving these families the chance to tell a story about those buried is all worth it.
"Not everyone is going to be written about in history books, but when you go to that grave, you can write that history on that stone," she said.
It was an easy decision for the Sand family. The recipe that Charleen Sand baked multiple times a week was a staple memory for all of them.
"We decided that the one thing we we're going to miss about her the most was all the love she put into her cooking. It's hard to put love on a stone but that was her love so that's what we decided to put on there," said Sand.
For now, Allyson Sand will continue to bake her stepmother's cottage cheese bread and try to keep her memory alive.
"I'll keep continuing to bake this bread to give my kids a little of her when I can," said Allyson Sand.
Charleen Sand's recipe will also be immortalized in print and digital as it will be featured in Rosie Grant's upcoming cookbook. The cookbook will feature 46 recipes etched onto headstones, with the majority coming from the United States.
"Through all of these gravestone recipes, it's such a powerful tool to remember someone," said Grant. "There's something about going on after living after you've died that I find very meaningful."
With those 46 recipes, Grant feels like she's just scratching the surface.
"Food and memory is important," said Grant. "When you eat the dish, it brings back your childhood. Everyone has that recipe you connect with."
This passion project of Grants' started three years ago and, as of Jan. 1, her cookbook was submitted for final edits. Learn more about her work here.
