Southern Roots: Recipes and Stories from Mama Dip’s Daughter ~Out Now
About Spring Council
A celebrated Southern chef, cookbook author, and vintage curator . . .
Spring Council champions and evolves Chapel Hill’s rich Southern food traditions through the legacy of her mother, Mildred “Mama Dip” Council—the founder of the iconic Mama Dip’s Kitchen in North Carolina.
As the youngest of Mama Dip's eight children, Spring grew up immersed in authentic Southern cooking. She started her career at eighteen, running the dining room at the restaurant and later growing into her role as an owner and product manager. For over five decades, she helped shape Mama Dip’s into a beloved destination for traditional Southern cuisine, celebrated for its hospitality and cultural heritage.
The Southern Foodways Alliance recognized Spring and her sisters with their prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award for their extraordinary contributions to preserving regional culinary traditions—one of the highest honors in Southern food heritage.
Beyond the kitchen, Spring has shared her elegant approach to Southern cooking at major events like the Bayhaven Food & Wine Festival and Asheville’s Chow Chow. Most recently, she was featured in Cherry Bombe magazine and on their She’s My Cherry Pie podcast, where she shared her signature recipe for Chocolate Bread Pudding with Candied Bacon. Her work has also been highlighted in Indy Week, Chapel Hill Magazine, and Table, Inc., and she continues to celebrate local heritage through collaborations with North Carolina’s iconic Cheerwine.
Spring’s professional affiliations include membership in the James Beard Foundation, Les Dames d'Escoffier International, and the International Association of Culinary Professionals. She is also a longtime member of Toastmasters International, which has shaped her engaging style at speaking engagements and cooking demonstrations throughout North Carolina.
In her community, Spring is a dedicated advocate in Orange County. She founded the Mama Dip’s Share the Love Fund to support youth development and serves as the lead organizer for the Mildred Council Annual Community Dinner. Her board service includes the SECU Family House at UNC Hospitals, and she is a former board member of the Chapel Hill Orange County Visitors Bureau.
Her debut cookbook, Southern Roots: Recipes and Stories from Mama Dip’s Daughter—out now from Countryman Press/W. W. Norton—blends vintage tableware with treasured heirloom recipes and personal stories. It reflects Spring’s lifelong mission to preserve and elevate Southern foodways for the next generation.
