Mother-daughter duo turns to home cooking to keep family tradition alive

SALADO, Texas — When rising prices, inflation and the government shutdown threatened to derail a cherished family tradition, Salado resident and federal employee Amber Dankert didn't just sit and wait. Instead, she turned to what she loves: cooking.

Dankert, who was not paid during the government shutdown, started a home-based meal delivery service called Country Gourmet with her daughter Brinley. She refused to let the financial strain end a tradition she's maintained with each of her children — a one-on-one trip when they turn 15 or 16 to show them the world.

What began as cooking for donations quickly grew into a full-fledged operation. The mother-daughter duo now prepares two to three meal options each week, sometimes making 100 to 150 meals that they deliver across Central Texas, fr