She’s Behind Nashville’s Wiley Canning Company
We spoke to Chelsea J. O'Leary, founder of Wiley Canning Company, to hear about her gorgeous cookbook, her passion for food preservation, and how to take full advantage of our local farmers' markets!
Founder and owner of Wiley Canning Company, Chelsea J. O’Leary exudes artistic sensibility, from her ethereal Instagram posts to her approach to food preservation. Her recently released book, The Wiley Canning Company Cookbook, is filled with methods and recipes for canning and pickling — an ode to seasonality and locally grown goods. In fact, most of the book’s recipes were created using produce from Nashville’s farmers’ markets! Chelsea’s passion is woven throughout her workshops, photography, and dedication to food education and preservation. Get to know our newest FACE of Nashville!
What inspired your love of business?
My parents strongly emphasized family, friendships, academics, and sports. To this day, I prioritize each of these. As a business owner, I have two guiding principles to which I adhere with unwavering confidence. My work must flow from my personal wellness. (Health comes before productivity.) And my work must grow around my family. (I want to build a business around my life, not a life around my business.) I believe these principles were instilled in me at a young age and have brought me tremendous perspective as an adult.
What drew you to food preservation, and what can you tell us about the Wiley Canning Company?
When I began building a life of my own after I graduated from college, I very intentionally asked myself, “What habits, traditions, and values do I want to carry forward from my family history?” … There are many features of my family I wish to carry forward, and at the top of this list is a commitment to the food in my home, time spent as a family around a table, and evenings full of friends in my kitchen and living room.
As I look back on the ways my family was in a relationship with food, I realize my grandparents played a huge role in gathering us around delicious ingredients and dishes atop a dining room table. It wasn’t fancy; oftentimes, we used paper plates and plasticware, but it didn’t matter. The food — and the love poured into that food — is what mattered, and the food was among the very best I’ve ever had.
The reason it was so delicious is that it was often made from ingredients grown and preserved by my grandparents. My favorite meal in the entire world is my grandmother’s homemade chili, made from canned tomatoes, canned tomato juice, and frozen sweet corn she grew and saved … How can we risk losing this practice? It feels sacred, and this feeling is precisely what led me to incorporate home food preservation into my life as an adult and begin Wiley Canning Company … named after my grandmother.
This is admittedly a humble brag (or perhaps not so humble), but the jams and pickles we incorporate into our meals at home are always the best part of every bite. Recently, my husband made deviled eggs and added my Sweet Pepper Jam and Simple Pickled Onions. It completely enlivened them. An individual ingredient can transform an entire dish.
Wiley Canning Company is my way of carrying forward all that I loved about my family’s way of living, loving, and gathering each other around a table of delicious, heart-driven food. Through Wiley, I am now able to share this practice with others.
Most recipes in your new book were created using produce from local farmers’ markets. What are some of your favorite markets and vendors, and what do you look for when shopping for produce?
I absolutely treasure Hancock Family Farm. They have a Nashville Farmers’ Market booth and an adorable shop in Springfield, TN. I also love The Peach Truck. Their peaches are truly divine and live up to the much-deserved hype.
Ripeness drives the timing of my recipe creation, so I gauge the ripeness of my produce before buying it. We have access to a cornucopia of fantastic produce in Nashville. It comes down to who has the produce I need when I need it. Overarchingly, seasonality drives the produce I choose to can, pickle, and preserve.
What do you find is the most common misconception about canning and preserving?
The most common misconception is that they are dangerous and require a large amount of space. They can be dangerous, and they can require a large amount of space, but with a foundational understanding of the science and safety behind home food preservation, I believe it is fully accessible intellectually, no matter the size of your kitchen.
What are the staple goods and materials we should keep in our kitchen if we’re looking to get into canning?
32-ounce, 16-ounce, and eight-ounce glass jars, rings, and lids are the sizes I pursue most. I use and love classic Ball® jars. You also need a large pot and rack to create proper hermetic seals via a water bath to store them outside your refrigerator for a long period. (You can also store your canned goods inside your refrigerator without creating proper seals. This is one way to get into canning more simply.) A few basic pantry staples include apple cider vinegar, white distilled vinegar, lemon or lime juice, canning salt, sugar, and a comprehensive spice rack.
If you could choose only one recipe in the book to highlight, which would it be and why?
This answer might change every day. Today, let’s go with Strawberry Jam! It is simply and absolutely true that homemade strawberry jam tastes the best! Nashville has entered strawberry season, so now is the time to source locally-grown strawberries and make a delicious jam to enjoy now or six months from now.
You have such a beautiful Instagram with oodles of delicious tranquility and creativity. What inspires you, and what prompted your interest in photography?
Thank you so very much. No one thing inspires me on its own. Everything around me — my family, friends, surrounding landscapes, and a bearded iris in bloom — emits flickers of inspiration all the time. It is impossible to miss the holy magic of Earth and humanity when we’re paying close attention.
You host both virtual and in-person workshops. Can you tell us about them?
My in-person workshops are very intimate. They are in my home, and I take this very seriously. I want my guests to feel welcomed, at ease, and understood.
My workshops are inspired by one very visceral, memorable feeling. It’s the feeling of walking into a room, knowing immediately you’ll be welcomed and nourished inside. I felt this every time I walked into my grandparents’ homes. I entered both my maternal and paternal grandparents’ homes through their kitchens. At once, I was sure I was not only wanted but also sure I’d eat something delicious while there.
At my Grandma Trudy’s home, in particular, my favorite dish to smell upon arrival was her homemade chili. On the best of days, she’d allow me to pour the tomatoes in myself. She’d teach me that the tickle in my nose resulted from smelling chili powder. She’d show me just how finely to crush the tomatoes. She’d allow me to taste test, even though she knew her recipe was already just right. The final preparation of Grandma Trudy’s chili was a two-way street. She had everything ready. I arrived just in time to ask questions, taste the final tests, and enjoy the meal. This is precisely what I hope to capture during my workshops.
What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
Professionally, my favorite piece of advice comes from poet Kate Baer. She writes, “No one cares if you’re a writer. This goes for most venturers, but especially artists. No one cares if you write or not. No one will take away your phone, force you to sit down, and stand over your shoulder while you work it out. You have to care. You have to start and continue the forward motion. It’s entirely up to you.”
Personally, I laugh out loud any time I remember this sage piece of marital wisdom I discovered on Cup of Jo. “At my bridal shower, guests were asked to write down a piece of advice for me, the bride. One card, written by ‘anonymous,’ said, ‘Remember you’re annoying, too.’ My first instinct was to think, ‘What? How could they?’ But it has been the best advice I’ve received! Every time I wonder why my husband does something, or I get irritated with him, I remember that he’s had plenty of moments thinking/feeling the same way towards me.”
Outside of faith, family, and friends, what are three things you can’t live without?
A cup of coffee in the morning, my running shoes, and the steadfast belief that humans are innately good and honest beings.
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Nashville is filled with dynamic women. Meet more of them in our FACES archives!
Jenna von Oy Bratcher
Jenna von Oy Bratcher is StyleBlueprint's Associate Editor and Lead Nashville Writer. The East Coast native moved to Nashville almost two decades years ago, by way of Los Angeles. She is a lover of dogs, strong coffee, traveling, and exploring the local restaurant scene bite by bite.