When Sandra Hollenberg steps into her kitchen, the clink of pans and hum of conversation merge with the rhythm of her life; a melody composed of prairie roots, European adventure, and the joy of sharing food.
The Langenburg-based cook, musician, and television host has spent a lifetime turning everyday ingredients into art. Best known for Sammy’s Cottage Kitchen on Access Now TV, Hollenberg’s story begins far from the bright lights of the studio on a snowy Saskatchewan farm, in a pickup truck.
“I was born in a snowstorm in a pickup truck,” Sammy laughed. “I guess my parents should have known right then I was going to shake things up a bit.”
Growing up in a large farm family, everyone had chores to choose from. For Sammy, the decision was easy. “I wasn’t crazy about dirt under my nails or digging potatoes,” she says. “So I chose the kitchen. I could play my music loud in there, and I just fell in love with it.”
While her mother “was a good enough cook, but didn’t like it much,” Sammy found patient mentors in her aunts and grandparents. “They’d let me stand on stools to see what they were doing. I was fascinated. And somehow, it just stayed with me my whole life.”
From Music to Meals
Long before she became a familiar face on Access Now TV, Sandra was a familiar voice. Her first love was music, and that passion took her far beyond the prairie horizon.
“My husband Jack and I thought we were going to Europe for six weeks,” she recalls. “We ended up staying for nine years.”
Sandra had already charted two songs in Canada in the 1980s, and when European promoters discovered her music, doors began to open. “We started doing beautiful festivals,” she says. “And the people there, they welcomed me with open arms because I was Canadian.”
But while her music found an audience, Sandra found something unexpected, an invitation into the kitchens of Europe.
“When I’d pay a compliment to a chef, they’d let me come in and learn,” she says. “That’s where I started being brave enough to ask questions and really study food. I wanted to do more with it.”
Her European experience left a lasting imprint on her cooking style. “You’ll find a lot of European touches in my down-home prairie recipes,” she says. “That balance of simple comfort food and elegant technique just stuck with me.”
A New Direction After Tragedy
After nearly a decade abroad, life took a painful turn. Sandra lost her son, and the grief brought her home.
“Life isn’t always peaches and cream,” she says softly. “You’ve got to make it go on. So that’s what I did.”
Back in Canada, she decided to formally study her second passion. “I went to culinary school as a mature student, I think I was 48 or 49,” she recalled. “It was such fun. No stress, except when I had to do algebra!”
Sammy’s hard work paid off. She completed three years of study in one, earned a scholarship that covered her tuition, and soon launched a catering company near Calgary. “I did that for 11 years,” she said. “Cooking was always what I came back to.”
Coming Home to Langenburg
After years of city life, Sandra and Jack chose a quieter path. “Jack was working as an industrial electrician, and his company was moving to Houston,” she explained. “We looked at each other and said, ‘No way, let’s move to Langenburg.’”
In her new hometown, Sammy founded Prairie Rose Wellness, combining nutrition, cooking, and community education. But fate had something else in store, and it came in the form of a chance meeting.
At a wellness expo, Sammy caught the attention of Cole Smith, a filmmaker for Access Now TV. “He came over and asked, ‘So what’s your story?’” she recalled with a grin. “I said, ‘Well, you’re not just a camera guy either, you look like a rock and roll guitar player!’”
That conversation sparked a creative friendship that would change her life.
“Cole filmed a few of my music projects,” she says. “Then one day, after a break, he called me and said, ‘Sammy, what’s going on? We need to do something again.’ And I said, ‘Well, I think I have an idea, you don’t have a cooking show!’”
The Birth of Sammy’s Cottage Kitchen
Neither Sandra nor the Access Now TV crew had ever produced a cooking series before. “We were like the blind leading the blind,” she laughs. “They had a van with cameras, and we just started filming in my kitchen.”
From those humble beginnings, Sammy’s Cottage Kitchen was born.
“I remember Cole standing there watching me work, and he said, ‘Sammy, you rocked this!’” Sandra smiles. “That’s when I knew I could do it.”
Eight years later, the show has become a local phenomenon, and one of Access Now’s top-rated programs. “People stop me in the grocery store all the time,” she says. “They’ll say, ‘I love your show!’ or ask me what kind of raisins to use in a recipe. It’s funny and wonderful all at once.”
For Sandra, the secret to her show’s success is simple: authenticity.
“When the lights go on, it’s the same as being on stage,” she said. “Only now I’ve got a way bigger audience, and they’re all in their kitchens with me.”
As she prepares for her eighth season on Access, Sammy remains as passionate as ever. “People ask why I keep doing the show,” she says. “I tell them, ‘Why not? It’s my stage, and I love every minute of it.’”
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Follow Sammy on her book tour at www.sammyrosehollenberg.com
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From Screen to Cookbook: The Next Chapter for Sammy’s Cottage Kitchen
When Sammy’s Cottage Kitchen first aired on Access Now TV, Sandra Hollenberg never imagined the show would lead her from her cozy prairie kitchen to an international stage; but, that’s exactly what happened.
What began as a local cooking program born out of curiosity and creativity has evolved into something far greater, a published cookbook now reaching readers and home cooks around the world.
“I never thought I’d be holding my own book in my hands,” Sammy said, sounding a bit surprised. “It started as a TV show in Langenburg, and now it’s in places I’ve never even been.”
From Camera to Cookbook
For Sandra, the idea for the cookbook came naturally, though it took years before she finally brought it to life.
“After a few seasons of Sammy’s Cottage Kitchen, people started asking for recipes,” she recalled. “I’d get emails and letters saying, ‘You made that pie last week, can I get the recipe?’ or ‘You should write a book!’”
At first, she brushed the idea aside. “I was so busy with the show, and I didn’t think I had the time,” she says. “But during the pandemic, things slowed down a bit. That’s when I really started writing.”
The process, however, wasn’t as simple as putting recipes on paper. “I wanted the book to feel like me,” Sammy explained. “Not just a list of ingredients, but a story. I wanted people to hear my voice when they read it.”
The Spirit of the Prairies
Sammy’s Cottage Kitchen: Recipes and Reflections from the Prairies is more than a cookbook. It’s a love letter to prairie life, filled with family memories, farm-grown ingredients, and the warmth of kitchen tables across Saskatchewan.
“There’s a rhythm to prairie cooking,” Sammy said. “It’s slow, it’s comforting, it’s about making do with what you have and still creating something special.”
Each chapter tells a story of growing up on a Saskatchewan farm, of her years in Europe, and of rediscovering home through food.
Honey, in particular, became a signature ingredient. “I really appreciate the support I’ve received from Wendell Estates Honey as they have helped me by supplying their wonderful honey so that I could make delicious recipes using honey. It inspired me to create a whole section in my cookbook based on natural, local honey. It shows up a lot in my cooking as my recipes are sweet or savoury.”.
She spoke about one of her favourite recipes, saying, “The one I do love the best in, as far as a gourmet meal, if you really want to wow somebody and you want to take the time to cook, is the Fancy Pike. It’s beautiful, and you just need to just read through it. I love all my recipes. I wouldn’t have put them in there had I not thought they were special. The devilled eggs. I make them Devilish Devilled Eggs, because I make them a little bit different, I add a little bit of avocado and some spice, and now you’ve got fancy stuff going on that tastes delicious”.
Bringing the Kitchen to the Page
Transforming a television show into a book came with its share of challenges. “On the show, I can talk people through every step,” Sammy explained. “In a book, you have to imagine how they’ll read it, how they’ll feel your energy.”
To keep that spirit alive, Sammy infused her writing with personality. “You’ll see little notes in the margins,” she laughed. “Things like, ‘If your gravy clumps, don’t panic, just whisk harder!’ I wanted it to be real.”
She also included QR codes linking to some of her favourite Sammy’s Cottage Kitchen episodes. “It was important to keep the connection between the show and the book,” she says. “Some people learn by reading, others by watching, now they can do both.”
An International Launch
When it came time to publish, Sammy once again found herself stepping into unfamiliar territory.
“I didn’t know a thing about publishing,” she admitted. “But, I’ve always been the kind of person who just goes for it.”
She partnered with a small publishing team that helped bring her vision to life, and before long, Sammy’s Cottage Kitchen was available not just in Canada, but across North America and Europe.
“I got a message from someone in Germany who said, ‘I watched your show online and now I’m cooking your stew!’” Sandra says with a smile. “That’s the part that gets me thinking that something that started here in Saskatchewan is being cooked halfway across the world.”
A Celebration of Home
The cookbook, like the show, captures Sandra’s down-to-earth style. “I’m not fancy,” she said. “I like real food, roast beef, homemade bread, pie. Things you can put on the table and everyone feels welcome.”
That approach has earned her a loyal following. “People tell me they feel like they know me,” she says. “They’ll say, ‘You talk like my grandma used to,’ or, ‘You make it look like anyone can cook.’ And that’s exactly what I want.”
For Sammy, food isn’t about perfection, it’s about connection. “It’s never just about what’s on the plate,” she said. “It’s about who’s sitting with you while you eat it.”
A Legacy in the Making
With her book now in circulation and her television show entering its eighth season, Sammy is as busy as ever. She shows no sign of slowing down.
“I’ve got ideas for another book already,” she said with a grin. “This time, maybe something focused on quick family meals, or recipes you can make ahead. We’ll see where it goes.”
Still, she insists that no matter how far Sammy’s Cottage Kitchen travels, it will always be rooted in the prairies. “Everything I do comes back to Saskatchewan,” she said. “The people here, the land, the food, it’s where my story started.”
When asked what she hopes readers and viewers take away from her work, Sammy didn’t hesitate.
“I want them to feel inspired,” she said. “To know that it’s never too late to chase a dream, to try something new, or to share a piece of yourself with the world. If I can do it from my little kitchen in Langenburg, anyone can.”
From Langenburg to the World
In the end, Sammy’s Cottage Kitchen is much more than a TV show or a cookbook. It’s the story of a woman who turned her love of food and music into a celebration of community, creativity, and courage.
“I always say, life gives you ingredients, it’s up to you what kind of recipe you make out of it,” Sammy said. “Mine’s turned out pretty sweet.”
Book contributors include Agnes Messmer, Amy Lee Bennett, Aurea Roenspies, Bernadine Morris, Bill Roenspies, Grandmere Desjardins, Margaret Neuhofer, Ruth Roenspies, Sandra Hollenberg, Sid Roenspies and Wesley Messmer.
Author and Photographer: Sandra Hollenberg, Cover Design: Sandra Hollenberg and Danae Messmer, Cover photograph: Dustin Wilson, Initial Design: Sandra Hollenberg, Danae Messmer and Dustin Van Caeseele, Editors: Jan Layh, Danae Messmer, Dustin Van Caeseele and Friesen Press, Publishing: Friesen Press.
Thank yous and acknowledgements include Sammy’s parents and her husband (Jack), Wesley and Katy Messmer, Danae Messmer, Russel Messmer, S.R.H. catering team, Kurt and MaryLee Roenspies, Dustin Van Caeseele, Access NowTV, Wendell Estate Honey, fans, friends and family.
The books can be found in Wallins and at the Cutting Crew in Langenburg, as well as large book stores nationally and internationally.