Marvin’s Peach Cobbler

Some memories come back through a photograph. Others come back through a smell.

The idea for Marvin’s Peach Cobbler actually started with one of the more unusual photo shoots we’ve been part of.

Years ago, we took part in a test-pilot shoot built around a playful cake-themed concept. The model was photographed in a swimsuit while a no-bake cake was literally created and decorated around her. I’m not sure whatever became of the pilot or the idea, but it was definitely one of those photo shoots you don’t forget.

And strangely enough, all that cake brought another memory rushing back.

Cobbler Around the Campfire

When my brother and I were growing up in the Boy Scouts, camping and hiking meant carrying everything we needed on our backs—and sometimes that included those heavy Dutch ovens.

After hiking for miles, those pots certainly didn't feel light.

But once camp was set up and the fire was going, they became worth carrying.

We cooked stews and other camp meals in them, but one of the things I remember most was cobbler.

There might occasionally be a mixed berry cobbler or something different, but peach was the one I remember best. The Dutch oven would sit there surrounded by the heat and coals of the campfire while the peaches, cake, and spices slowly came together.

After a long day outdoors, there was something special about sitting around the fire waiting for that cobbler to finish.

The adult leaders might enjoy theirs with a hot cup of coffee while we boys had whatever we were drinking at the time.

That campfire coffee eventually became another Wilson & Wick story—Jim’s First Cup—inspired by my lifelong friend Jimmy and the many camping memories we share.

Two different candles. Two different stories.

But some of the same campfires.

A Memory of My Father

Peach cobbler also brings me back to my father, Marvin Jr.

He loved peach cobbler, and it became one of those simple things that would always remind me of him. My grandfather, Marvin Sr., shared that love of cobbler too, making the memory something that stretches through generations of our family.

Sometimes it isn't a major event that stays with you.

Sometimes it's a dessert.

A smell coming from the kitchen.

A campfire.

Or simply remembering what someone you loved enjoyed.

The Peach Tree

Years later, when my wife and I owned our first house, we had a beautiful peach tree in the yard.

And that tree produced peaches.

Lots of peaches.

Every year it seemed to give us more than we knew what to do with. Our neighbors certainly noticed. Some would ask if they could have a few peaches.

Others apparently decided asking was optional.

My son probably remembers that tree for another reason—spending hours helping rake up the peaches that had fallen to the ground before we could get to them.

It was messy. It was work. And looking back now, it was another one of those ordinary family moments that becomes more meaningful with time.

Every Candle Has a Story

That is what Marvin’s Peach Cobbler represents.

The smell of warm peach cobbler coming from a Dutch oven after miles on the trail.

Campfires and Boy Scout memories.

Coffee being poured nearby.

A peach tree at our first home.

And most of all, memories of my father and the family that came before and after him.

It is warm, familiar, and a little nostalgic—the kind of fragrance that can make a room suddenly feel like somewhere you've been before.

Because sometimes all it takes is the scent of warm peaches and fresh cobbler to bring someone home again.

Marvin’s Peach Cobbler

Every Candle Has a Story.