Rosie Grant has been to cemeteries in New York, California, and even Israel in search of gravestones featuring recipes. She says the recipes are hard to find, so it’s kind of like a treasure hunt to search for them. As of late April 2022, Grant had only found around ten of them. Most appear to be recipes for baked goods.

Why did Rosie start doing this in the first place?  She was inspired by her grandmother, who had recently passed away from COVID. Grant’s grandma used to make a special yellow cake for her as a kid and reflecting on that gave her the idea for the hobby, which has turned into a passion project.

Until now, I had never heard of people having recipes etched on their tombstones, but I love the idea. Everyone should be able to leave a little something of themselves behind when the pass on. It’s a nice legacy that can be enjoyed by anyone who happens to walk by and snap a photo of your final resting place.

My father used to love walking through cemeteries. He said it was because he enjoyed reading the names and the dates on the headstones. It may also have had something to do with the peaceful nature of the place. I find myself drawn to historic cemeteries now as well, such as the one in Bath, North Carolina, which is our state’s first town. New Orleans is another interesting place for visiting cemeteries. The next time I’m there, I’ll have to keep an eye out for a good gumbo recipe.