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NATCHEZ — Heather Sander was first introduced to Natchez as an 11-year-old when her parents started bringing her family here for vacations from their home in Ontario, Canada.

Today, Sander, 62, makes Natchez her home.

“My mother was a teacher, among other things. She loved to travel but not fly,” Sander said. “We were vacationing in Mexico when we met some people from Natchez there, who told us we must come to Natchez. The interesting thing was that when we traveled south in the United States, we made it a point to avoid Mississippi because of some of the things we had heard. We broke through that and came to visit Natchez, and my mother, Geanne Sander, fell in love with the city.”

Her parents soon started spending the summers here, and Sander moved here when she was 19. However, she has lived in other places during her adulthood, including in Minnesota for 11 years, where she worked as a secretary and medical transcriptionist.

Working at Mayo gave her an appreciation of cooking and eating more healthy things.

“Cooking is a wonderful creative outlet for me and a good thing for our family. We share meals and have fun in the kitchen,” Sander said. “A lot of the way I cook came out of Mayo Clinic. I’m more conscious about what I am eating and what others are eating, and I’m a little particular about what I am feeding my people.”

Sander lives in Natchez with her father, Allen Sander, who still drives from Ontario to Natchez, and her daughter, Chloe Hodgson, 22. Sander has two other children, daughters Holly Sabaas of Peschigo, Wisconsin, and Olivia Norman, who lives on Lake St. John with her husband and family.

“I do think that good, healthy food is the key to good health, and I think it’s a great tradition to have in your home to share that creativity and experiment and have fun,” she said.

Recently, Sander shared photos and a recipe for homemade pizza with the Natchez Cook Club Facebook group members.

“I made a homemade crust for this pizza, but you don’t have to,” Sander said.

Sander’s pizza recipe

1 pizza crust

3 oz. alfredo or pesto sauce (Sander used pesto sauce)

½ to 1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 red bell pepper, sliced julienne

1 yellow bell pepper, sliced julienne

1 red onion, sliced into rings and separated

1 (8 oz.) package mozzarella or pizza cheese

Prepare a pizza crust. Cover top with a thin layer of sauce. Cover with shrimp, peppers and onion. Cover with cheese. Bake at 425 degrees for 25 minutes or until golden brown.

Pesto sauce

(Laurie Hodgson’s recipe)

3 cups fresh basil leaves, packed and stems removed

3 to 4 healthy cloves of garlic

¼ to ½ tsp. Salt

¾ cup freshly grated Parmesan

¼ cup pine nuts or walnuts

½ cup olive oil

½ cup fresh parsley (optional)

¼ cup butter, melted (optional)

Black pepper, freshly ground (optional)

Puree everything in a blender or food processor until it becomes a uniform paste.

This pesto freezes well in a freezer baggie.