ROANOKE, Va. (AP) - Jennifer Hoyt Lalli defies pigeonholing.

Lalli, a scientist with a doctorate in polymer chemistry, is president of NanoSonic, a regional company focused on nanotechnology. She relies at work on the predictability of the laws of science but is a believer also in the power of transcendent forces.

A self-described carnivore at heart, Lalli touts the healing power of whole grains. She is an avid hunter who has killed deer with bow, rifle and muzzleloader.

Born into a Catholic family, she is a baptized member now of Auburn Baptist Church in Riner. Lalli says the meditative time she spent in nature while deer hunting helped her find God. And peace.

She is also the 40-year-old mother of a 6-month-old son, whose presence in Lallis life and the life of her husband she attributes, like other blessings, to prayer, faith and sound nutrition.

Her new book cannot be pigeonholed, either.

Lalli self-published Hunt & Gather: The Healing Powers of Whole Grains, Lean Meat, and Prayer.

At its core, the 287-page hardbound book is a cookbook. But its original recipes include the ingredients that have helped change the lives of both the author and her husband, Chris, also 40.

The couples pastor at Auburn Baptist Church, Stanley Shake Smith, wrote the preface for Hunt & Gather, observing that it offers nourishment that is both physical and spiritual. His preface captures also what seems to be a key Jennifer Lalli trait: a full-bore commitment to the tasks she has embraced.

Smith wrote that Lalli poured heart and soul into the book.

Originally posted here:

Cookbook combines woman's passion for hunting, spirituality