Joy Baer enjoys a wee bit of Irish luck when it comes to matters of cooking and life.
It was Baer’s good fortune to inherit authentic Irish recipes from her great-great-grandmother. Baer makes and modifies these recipes with her grown daughters, Melissa Viscek, 25, and Lauren Viscek, 23.
Like her great-great-grandmother, Baer enjoys spending time in the kitchen, in a home she says is blessed with abundance. Baer likes to cook for friends and family, side-by-side with her husband, Dave.
“A rich tradition of food and recipes has been handed down to us,” Lauren says. “Not every family has that.”
Occupation: Nationally known fresco artist (joybaer frescoes.com)
Special cooking interest: Preparing and adapting authentic Irish recipes
Why are you so proud of your Irish heritage? Life was not so easy for my Irish ancestors. My great-great-grandmother Kitty Gallaher was born in 1876 in County Cork, Ireland, during the potato famine. Her family knew starvation, immigrated to the United States and settled in Chicago. They worked hard at a variety of jobs, helping to build our country into the strength it holds today.
Tell me about your great-great-grandmother. Kitty Gallaher White was the quintessential Irish lass with bright red hair and blue eyes. She was part of the women’s suffragette movement and was married to a very patriotic man named John Benjamin White, who painted his house red, white and blue.

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