Self-published Canadian cookbook star Jean Pare dies at 95 in Edmonton

An Alberta-born international cooking icon and Order of Canada recipient died on Christmas Eve in Edmonton.

At age 95, recipe maker and cookbook author Jean Paré died, her family said in a statement. Best known for authoring more than 200 Company’s Coming cookbooks, Paré also raised four children and ran a catering company for 18 years.

Born in Irma, Alta., in 1927, she formed Company’s Coming Publishing Limited in 1980 with her son, Grant Lovig in Edmonton. It went on to become Canada’s largest publisher of cookbooks.

After 30 years, more than 30 million cookbooks have been sold. Each focused on providing recipes containing accessible and affordable ingredients.

Paré retired in 2011.

“Jean’s legacy will be upheld through her four children, plus her many grandchildren and great-grandchildren,” said Amanda Lovig Hagg, her granddaughter.

“[Paré’s] passions outside the kitchen included travel, and helping others in need — especially women,” Lovig Hagg added in a statement.

“She loved to tell a good joke and couldn’t resist chocolate, often eating her dessert first.”

With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Kyra Markov