Interview with Anna Marie at The Queen Victoria

Bed and Breakfast in Cape May

Published on September 08, 2015

Back in July, I interviewed a couple of our loyal guests, Wayne and Joyce, and loved the experience so I decided to interview someone that’s very near and dear to me and I think to many of our guests as well: Anna Marie!

If you haven’t picked up your own copy yet, you’ll want to check out The Queen Victoria cookbook on your next visit with us and now you’ll have a bit more insight into how the book came about.

Why did you write The Queen Victoria cookbook?

When Doug and I bought The Queen Victoria in 2004 it came with 3,000 Queen Victoria cookbooks. While cleaning the stock room in 2007, Doug realized we only had a few cases of cookbooks left. He immediately suggested that it was time that I started thinking about writing a cookbook. Wow, it was hard to believe, but we had sold almost 1,000 cookbooks a year. So, I took most of the recipes in the old cookbook, added my personal favorite recipes and doubled the size of the original cookbook.

Why do you think that The Queen Victoria cookbook is so popular?

I think that The Queen Victoria cookbook is popular because the recipes are easy to make and remind people of a simpler, calmer time in their lives. Most of my recipes are good old-fashioned recipes from my Mom, Aunt or Grandmother that bring back memories for most guests. The smell of cakes or cookies baking brings back memories of their childhood or their last visit to The Queen Victoria.  At The Queen Victoria, we bake for about eight hours a day, so if you walk through the house during the day you are bound to smell something baking.

What types of recipes are in the cookbook?

The Queen Victoria cookbook includes recipes for almost everything we serve at our breakfast buffet and afternoon tea.  The recipes are divided into four sections including Breakfast Entrees and Specialties, Breakfast Breads, Teatime Sweets, Treats and Cakes and Teatime Savories.  The recipes are easy to follow and include ingredients that most people have at home. The recipes are perfect for entertaining at home, especially for a large crowd.

What recipe is the most popular with your guests?

Our guests love our homemade granola or “Queen’s Oats” as we call it. It can be eaten as cereal or a topping for fruit, yogurt or ice cream. I personally love to mix it in with our yogurt and fresh cut fruit salad. In response to guest requests, we started selling our granola a few years ago. Guests bring it to friends and family members as a “Thank You” for babysitting their home or children while they are on vacation. Our granola can also be found in dorm rooms around the country, since many of our guests send the granola to their kids in college.

What is your favorite recipe to make?

I absolutely love to make the Chocolate cake. My Mom, who is a very fine baker, gave me this recipe. Every time I make this cake it brings back fond memories of my childhood, as this was my very favorite “Birthday” cake. I grew up in the ‘60s and ‘70s when it was fashionable to have birthday parties at home with homemade birthday cakes, little paper cups of candies and games like pin the tail on the donkey.

Do your guests buy your cookbook as a gift or for themselves?

My cookbook is our most popular gift shop item throughout the year.  It is often purchased as a gift for birthdays, Christmas, Mother’s Day or Wedding shower favors.  Many guests also purchase it for themselves and use it when they entertain family and friends.  As families grow, many women find themselves running their own “bed and breakfasts” at home or at their vacation homes.

Thanks,

Anna Marie

The Queen Victoria