Tom Blanchard III will tell you that leading the company founded by his great grandfather is one of the greatest honors of his lifetime.
Just like his father, grandfather, and great grandfather before him, Tom bears the responsibility of driving innovation and preserving tradition – all while faithfully serving the needs of the company’s clients. “It’s a pretty remarkable thing to sell houses and insurance policies to generations of people, their children and grandchildren,” he told the Augusta Chronicle when reflecting on the company’s 100th anniversary in business. “It’s very humbling.” What Tom is a little less humble about is his role as preparer of Old Faithful, the pork tenderloin that has become the go-to entrée for gatherings with friends and family. The recipe is the result of Tom and his wife, Jessica, experimenting with different flavors in an attempt to bring something new to the table. Their trials in the kitchen were successful; it is a crowd pleaser. Every time they serve it, someone asks for the recipe. After sharing various instructions over the years with friends (“a little of this, a dash of that”), Tom and Jessica finally codified the recipe and published it in the Blanchard and Calhoun Family Cookbook, sales of which benefit the United Way. You can bet Tom and Jessica will be serving their signature dish this Fourth of July – probably with a little smack talk on the side. Happy Independence Day from the Blanchard family and the Blanchard and Calhoun family of businesses.

Please pass the potato salad.



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