Culinary roots: Grew up in a family of 10 in southwest Atlanta. Learned to cook by watching her mother run a soul food restaurant. Received a scholarship to attend the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y.

Career highlights: Has been featured on the Food Network's "Road Tasted" show; her sweet potato cheesecake recipe, which President Bill Clinton raved about on a visit here in 1999, was featured in one of Rachael Ray's cookbooks.

Louie Favorite/Staff (ENLARGE)

William 'Bobby' Jones Jr. tastes the blackberry cobbler he and his mom, Sonya, make in her shop.

LOUIE FAVORITE/ 2002 photo (ENLARGE)

Sonya Jones (left) used to get help at Sweet Auburn Bread Co. from her mom, Catherine Johnson, who taught Jones to cook in a soul food restaurant she ran.

RELATED Anne Quatrano Co-chef/owner of Bacchanalia, Quinones, Star Provisions and Floataway Cafe in Atlanta  Before they were chefs...six Atlanta cooking pros  Sonya Jones - Chef/owner, Sweet Auburn Bread Co.  Scott Peacock Executive chef at Watershed in Decatur  Virginia Willis Atlanta cookbook author and cooking instructor  Linton Hopkins Chef/owner of Restaurant Eugene in Buckhead  Dave Roberts Chef at Sam & Dave's BBQ1 and BBQ2 in Marietta

Favorite childhood dish: Her mother's blackberry cobbler, a tradition her son Bobby helps her carry on as her assistant in the bakery.

The story: "Seeing a bowl of blackberries evokes memories from my childhood of the ones that grew in our backyard and how they were served. ...

"My mother would prepare her cobblers in roasting pans to feed the whole family, never using a recipe. From my eye view, the cobbler was simple in preparation; I'd watch her spread handfuls of berries into the pan, sprinkle sugar over them and let them macerate. Meanwhile, she'd prepare the pastry, pouring flour into a bowl, measuring by sight, checking the amount in the bowl after a couple of shakes.

"I noticed her sprinkle a little salt and add maybe a scoop of lard or butter to the flour, again no measuring utensils at hand. With both hands, she would cut the fat into the flour, adding just enough liquid to pull it together. She'd roll the dough out on the kitchen counter and use a knife to cut long strips to criss-cross the top of the cobbler. Into a hot oven it went, until it was nicely browned and its juices bubbling."

How she adapted it: At her bakery, she bakes the cobbler in individual portions and, rather than roll out the pie crust, simply crumbles the pastry mixture over the top. "The addition of just a hint of lemon zest and freshly grated nutmeg makes the flavor a little more complex and enhances the tartness of the fresh blackberries," she adds.

— Susan Puckett

Sonya Jones' Blackberry Cobbler

4-6 servings

Hands on: 15 minutes

Total time: 60-70 minutes

For the filling:

1 cup granulated sugar

4 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

6 cups fresh or frozen (unthawed) blackberries

4 tablespoons butter

For the pastry:

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons butter, plus additional for buttering pan(s)

Butter a 9-inch-square pan or four 5-inch pie tins. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. For the filling: In a large mixing bowl, combine sugar, flour, lemon zest and nutmeg. Add berries to mixture and gently toss to coat.

Pile berry mixture into buttered pan or individual tins. Dot with 4 tablespoons butter.

For the topping: In a small mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar and salt. Cut in 6 tablespoons butter with your hands or pastry blender until mixture resembles size of small peas.

Sprinkle crumb mixture over berries. Bake for 40 to 60 minutes (depending on size of dish) or until topping is golden brown.

Serve warm from the oven.

Per serving (based on 4): 640 calories (percent of calories from fat, 44), 4 grams protein, 86 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, 32 grams fat (20 grams saturated), 85 milligrams cholesterol, 457 milligrams sodium.