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NATCHEZ — Anna Payne cannot remember a time in her life when she didn’t cook.

The daughter of Joe and Mary Joy “Noonie” Fortunato said her mother was always cooking, and she was right in the kitchen with her.

“I’ve been cooking since birth, literally,” she said. “My mom, Noonie, my aunt Sara Champion, and my mother’s best friend, Jeanie Bee, were always in the kitchen, and I don’t remember a time when I wasn’t in the kitchen with them, helping. I was always stirring pots or cutting stuff up or mixing things.

“I can remember when my brother, Mike, would come home from college. I would bake him a cake, all by myself. We are 10 years apart, so I was about 12 at the time,” Payne said. “Our housekeeper, Terry Robinson, taught me how to make lemon cakes and fry pork chops.”

She has used her culinary skills for herself and others during her adult life.

Born and raised in Natchez, Payne and her husband of 23 years, Brett Payne, live in Erwinville, Louisiana, in West Baton Rouge Parish. Payne has a stepdaughter, Logan, and the couple enjoys spending time with her and their two grandchildren.

Payne has worked as a physical therapy assistant since 2000 and as a home health physical therapy assistant since 2002, traveling to patients’ homes to provide physical therapy care.

However, during her adult life, she has also become known for baking and selling cheesecakes using a recipe she took eight years to perfect. She worked at Baton Rouge General Hospital when she developed her cheesecake recipes. Her co-workers were taste testers, and their feedback helped her perfect her recipe.

Recently, the employees at Express Auto in Zachary were the beneficiaries of one of Payne’s signature cheesecakes.

“I had a nail in my tire, and I could not get the jack out of my car. It was stuck. I drove into this one tire place, and they would not help me. I had an air compressor, so I aired up the tire and drove to Express Auto in Zachary,” she said.

“I went in and asked if someone could help me get the stuck jack out of my car. They were so nice. They told me they would change my tire for me. I told them I could change it if they just got the jack out, but they insisted on changing my tire. They changed it and didn’t charge me anything,” Payne said.

The Monday afterward, she delivered them a cheesecake.

“They were very surprised and were thankful,” she said. “One of their customers even called me yesterday and wanted to buy a cheesecake!”

One of Payne’s most prized possessions is Aunt Sara Champion’s “Magic Red Pot.”

“It’s probably 75 years old. She used it all her life, and when she moved to Dallas shortly before her death, she gave it to me. Anytime I bring that pot out, I know magic is going to happen. I know that sounds like I’m bragging, but it’s not. Anything I have made in it has been like magic,” she said.

Payne also enjoys experimenting in her Instapot and Ninja Foodie.

“I have perfected a rib recipe in the pressure cooker. I’ve even baked a cheesecake in my pressure cooker,” she said.

During the pandemic lockdown, during which she was laid off for seven months, Payne prepared casseroles and meals for still-working friends.

At her husband’s and friends’ urging, Payne began a Facebook page where she shares recipes with friends called The Ponderosa Kitchen, est. 2004.

“My dad, Joe Fortunato, called our home The Ponderosa. That’s where the name came from,” she said.

Payne is also a frequent contributor to the Natchez Cook Club Facebook page.

Anna Payne’s signature cheesecake recipe

Ingredients:

Three 8 oz blocks of softened cream cheese

1 cup of sugar

1 t. of vanilla, more if you want

3 large eggs

1 cup sour cream

For crust:

Two packs of graham crackers (Not two boxes of graham crackers. Two of the packs that come inside the box.)

¼ cup sugar

About ½  to 1 stick of softened butter.

Prepare pie crust:

Smash the graham crackers real good. Add the sugar and butter and mix well. Then, mash those down into your greased 10-inch springform pan.

For the cheesecake filling:

Put softened cream cheese in a mixing bowl. (Payne uses a stand mixer.) Blend the cream cheese with the sugar. Then, while still blending, add sour cream. While still blending, add eggs one at a time. While still blending, add vanilla. Blend on low until smooth and there are no lumps.

Pour the cream cheese mixture into the springform pan. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour.

Let the cheesecake cool completely. Scape around the edges and remove the springform.

Note: “Some people prefer to bake the cheesecake in a water bath. To do that, Wrap your springform pan loosely in aluminum foil to ensure water doesn’t get into it. Place in a baking pan of water, ensuring the water doesn’t get into the cheesecake. The water bath prevents the cheesecake from cracking. It keeps the sides moist. Lots of times, the cheesecake will stick and cause a crack if it is not baked in a water bath,” Payne said.

“Sometimes I use a water bath, sometimes I don’t. It depends on whether I care what it looks like when it comes out. It all tastes the same,” she said.