For Kate Shumaker, there is no such thing as a typical day on the job. As the family and consumer sciences educator for OSU Extension Holmes County, she has seen and done a lot over the past 25 years.
“Essentially, we always say that no two days are ever alike. And so you only get bored in this job if you want to be bored,” Shumaker said.
As an outreach arm of Ohio State, the extension office exists to provide resources to the community including agriculture and natural resources, family and consumer sciences, 4-H development, and economic and community development. As the family and consumer sciences division educator, Shumaker focuses on the home economics field including food preservation, family, finances, and clothing and textiles. From answering consumer calls to showing up at local businesses and community centers for educational events, Shumaker is always on the go.
“This job is not a sit-in-a-cubicle job,” Shumaker said. “It’s a people job.”
Shumaker started work at the OSU Extension in Cuyahoga County in 1999. After a few months, she was encouraged to apply for the educator position in Holmes County, starting at the beginning of 2000, and hasn’t looked back.
Over the years from large and small office staffs to multiple office moves and program name changes, the heart of the program has stayed the same, providing educational resources to the community.
When she’s not taking inquiries, Shumaker is out in the community teaching several programs. Some of her most common classes include food safety, cooking, food preservation, finance, divorce parenting, fall prevention and more. She also has had a hand in the local 4-H program as the need arose.
“While it’s not my area of expertise, I was blessed with being able to work with a lot of volunteers who supported the program and kept it going,” she said.
Stemming from her love of cooking, Shumaker is known for her cooking programs: Cooking with Kate and Kids in the Kitchen. Cooking with Kate labs began in the mid-2000s, with the name following thereafter.
Cooking with Kate has been likened to watching the Food Network or Cooking Channel Live, Shumaker said. She makes three or four dishes a night, working at a large demo table with a tilt mirror over top so the audience has a clear view of what she is preparing. She offers commentary on recipe modifications or substitutions and any tips for cooking gadgets. At the end the audience has a chance to sample each dish, which gets converts, she said.
“What takes it over the top is when you actually get to try and you’re like, ‘Oh, that really is good. Yes, I would make that.’ Or ‘It wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be,’” Shumaker said.
The cooking labs have garnered a regular following with foodies coming back each time with their friends. Regulars have a few favorites on repeat including a juicy pork chop recipe and carrot cake. Some have even made personal cookbooks out of the sessions.
Shumaker now offers a once-a-week, three-week series in the spring and fall, with repeat sessions in the morning, evening or weekend so anyone can attend. Additionally, she gives a holiday special in early November.
“She has such a passion for cooking and spending time in the kitchen,” said Ashley Gerber, who has worked with Shumaker the past nine years as office secretary. “It’s inspiring to see her share that passion with our local community.”
Shumaker started with family favorites and quickly grew to recipes and adaptations she’s found everywhere. Her Kids in the Kitchen sessions take the same recipes but allow 8- to 12-year-olds to try their hand at cooking. The three-hour, three-week series has been offered every summer for the past eight years.
But for all the cooking she does, one thing Shumaker dislikes is onions — tasting, cutting them, touching them.
“Everybody has a food thing. Onions are mine,” she said. “In my classes they get on me about it. I will put them in the food; I just won’t touch it.”
Shumaker has enjoyed the freedom and flexibility to create programs like these to fit with community needs. Through the years she has enjoyed the people she’s met and appreciates how the Holmes County community supports one another.
Other career highlights have been the opportunity to travel with colleagues at state and national conferences. She spent two years as the secretary for National Extension Association of Family and Consumer Sciences. She’s also worked with several local and statewide officials on county policy issues that impacted local staff funding for the office, including commissioner Dave Hall.
“My former position as an Ohio state representative, I was chairman of agriculture and ag finance committees at the statehouse. In those positions I relied on Kate to give me a real understanding of state funding impacts to the local OSU Extension offices in Ohio,” Hall said.
“Her hard work, excellent leadership and imagination are the primary reasons that we have a strong extension program,” said Lucille Hastings, who served on the board that hired Shumaker.
Outside of work Shumaker enjoys spending time with her husband and three cats. Those who attend her classes get regular stories about her fur babies. She also fills her time with cooking, reading or watching a Hallmark movie.
“My husband’s favorite phrase for me was ‘meanwhile Kate was reading a book,’” Shumaker said.
If Shumaker had known going into OSU Extension work that she’d be there 25 years later, she said it wouldn’t have been a surprise. Coming from a family who’ve committed decades of work in their desired fields, she said, “I’m not surprised that I found my place and I stayed.”
