Beth Royals, a 1988 Elon graduate, and her delicious creations in the kitchen were featured in the Nov. 24 edition of People Magazine.
Royals, who lives in Richmond, Va., with her husband, John ’88, was featured in a section of the magazine titled “Winners,” which profiled people who have been successful in their own business or entrepreneurial ventures.
“I was shocked and surprised,” Royals said about being included in People. “At the time, I was nine months pregnant and the magazine was pretty insistent about coming out that very week to shoot pictures. So I was worried about whether I’d be at home for the pictures or at the hospital!”
Royals has participated in numerous cooking contests, in addition to her full-time job as a sales representative. She estimates she has won 20 contests, creating recipes for everything from garlic-scented seafood cakes with citrus salsa, tortilla top chicken with tequila sunrise sauce, and banana toffee coffee cakes.
“As I’ve gotten older and have my own family, I realize how much joy food can bring to people,” Royals said in a 2002 Richmond Times-Dispatch article. “It doesn’t have to be something big, just a little gesture, like taking a casserole to a new neighbor in the chaos of moving. I’m fascinated by the good memories that food brings to everybody.”