Moreton Neal

Born and raised in Brookhaven Mississippi, Moreton Neal learned to cook at her grandmother’s knee and learned to eat well in New Orleans. With Bill Neal, whom she met and married while at Duke University, she opened Restaurant La Residence, the first fine dining restaurant of its kind in North Carolina. After leaving the restaurant business, she has written a cookbook/memoir and articles for several magazines and other publications. For many years she was the food editor of Raleigh Metro magazine as well as a restaurant critic for an international website. She continues to write a weekly column, “Joyous Cooking” for Chapel Hill Magazine. In addition, she runs an interior design business in Chapel Hill where she lives with her husband, Drake Maynard. Moreton is blessed with three children, one stepdaughter, one daughter-in-law, two grandchildren, and two dogs who believe they are children.

Ten Things I Can’t Do Without

1. My family (including dogs) and friends
2. Air-conditioning
3. Dark roast coffee, delivered by my darling every morning
4. New Orleans
5. A fireplace in winter
6. Swimming in summer
7. France
8. Color
9. Bourbon, preferably Woodford Reserve
10. NPR in the car