OKIE FROM MUSKOGEE: Tucker enjoys showing off Muskogee

May 11—Erika Tucker's new job as Three Rivers Bed and Breakfast innkeeper allows her to share her love of hospitality, home cooking and helping the community.

After earning a degree in hospitality from Georgia's Ashworth College, Tucker ran Muskogee's Deluxe Inn Motel for several years.

"Then COVID happened, everyone was doing everything out of pocket," she said. "I had an opportunity to rest rejuvenate, figure out what I wanted to do."

She got back into hospitality in January, when she got the job at Three Rivers, located in a mansion built in 1911.

"I manage properties, handle the events," she said. "If there are any bridal showers or baby showers, I coordinate with other vendors for their events."

Tucker honed her love of cooking while managing Southern Comfort, a restaurant at Deluxe Inn.

"The idea was to have comfort food from different countries," she said. "When we go to other countries, I never want to eat with the tourists, I like to learn from different people."

She said she enjoys cooking for Three Rivers guests.

"The guests are so much fun, and I get to play with the China and use table settings and do a lot of southern cooking," she said. "I like to make grits, chicken and waffles, homemade biscuits. Sometimes people ask 'do you know how to make this dish.' It warms my heart to see people happy and having fun."

Tucker also has been active in the community. She said she was on the board for Main Street Muskogee for four years and has been involved with Legacy Keepers R Us.

She has been involved with the Bare Bones Film Festival for 10 or 11 years. During the most recent festival, Tucker helped host the opening reception and a feature film showing at Three Rivers.

"I made sure we have rooms available for directors and our guests," she said. "I love being of service, good for people to be involved with the community, be part of the process and be hands on."

Working with Bare Bones Festival

Erika Tucker said most fun about helping with Bare Bones Film Festival is meeting all the people.

"We have people who from New York, California, Texas, North Korea, Japan," she said. "We got to meet a princess once; she was making a movie. It's a week of fun being with people from throughout the world. If you want to make a movie, you can learn how to make short films. They have workshops and the networking is phenomenal."

Tucker said she met all sorts of filmmakers, directors, actors, actresses, models and crew members.

Tucker said her job was "whatever Shiron (Ray) asked me to do."

That includes picking people up from the airport, hosting a venue, helping with the awards.

She said her children even helped out.

"My daughters got to do interviews from a kid's view," Tucker said. "I get to also vote on the movies before the film festival. We get to watch the videos."

Keeping energy levels up can be challenging, with days that could run from 10 a.m. to midnight, she said.

"You meet people and network with people and they become family and at the end of the festival everyone has to go back home," she said. "And it's like I wish we had another week with everyone."

Getting closer to guests

Working at a bed and breakfast is more intimate than working at a motel, Tucker said.

"With the Deluxe, I had 59 rooms and rules about what you can and cannot do," she said. "When you do the motels, you check people in and they go to their rooms. Here, it's like a big family. You come in and we're all under the same roof. It's like you get to be more hands-on."

People appreciate a home-like atmosphere, she said.

"If you're here for a funeral, at a bed and breakfast, you can have people come in and out like it's your own home. It's more private and personalized," she said.

Another advantage is the old house itself.

"My boss knows the history of the house like the back of his hand," she said. "I love the process. He owns it, I get to help manage it."

She said she learned how to polish all the China and silver.

"There are so many cool things in here," she said. "I feel like I discover something new every day."

Father was master cook

Tucker said her father, the cook in the family, got her interested in diverse foods.

"We'd go to Tulsa and go to different markets, like the Latin market, we'd go to a mini-Chinatown and bakery," she said. "He would get fresh herbs and fresh spices. Then we would go eat somewhere, and he would try it and say 'I want to try to make this at home.' We used to guess spices when he would cook."

She said her father taught her to cook with her heart.

"When you're cooking, it's like giving a piece of your love to someone," she said. "When you put love into your food, it's going to taste better."

She said she learned more cooking skills from the Southern Comfort restaurant when she operated the Deluxe Inn.

Her current job at Three Rivers offers even more opportunities.

"This house has everything a cook can imagine, from antique dishes to antique tools," she said. "It also came with 100 different cookbooks."

She said her best dishes are Jamaican jerk chicken and, for breakfast, shrimp and grits.

HOW DID YOU COME TO BE AN OKIE FROM MUSKOGEE?

"I moved back here to take care of my grandmother. I took care of my great-grandmother and my great-uncle. I became the caretaker of my elders. I just fell in love again with Muskogee, my roots were already here with my family."

WHAT DO YOU LIKE BEST ABOUT MUSKOGEE?

"I love that it's so small. I love that it's a small town with big opportunities. I love that everyone's doors are open. I love that we have a very diverse community. I was part of the women's international fashion show. Muskogee has a lot of culture. I love that people work together to make it a better place. I love that anywhere I go they remember my name."

WHAT WOULD MAKE MUSKOGEE A BETTER PLACE TO LIVE?

"More things to do for our youth. For our kids and for our teen-agers."

WHAT PERSON IN MUSKOGEE DO YOU ADMIRE MOST?

"Shiron Ray. She's the reason I got into the film festival 10 years ago. She just adopted me as her 'daughter.' She's fun, spicy, always wonderful and Marlon Coleman. He came down here and was hands-on. He always had great ideas. I love both of them. Hard to pick one because they are both so dedicated to the community and they both have a lot of positive energy."

WHAT IS THE MOST MEMORABLE THING TO HAPPEN TO YOU IN MUSKOGEE?

"When Cuba Gooding came here last January. I was the one who got to show him around Muskogee. I got to hang out with him all day. Show him what I liked about Muskogee. That was pretty awesome. Very cool guy, very nice. Very down to earth."

WHAT DO YOU DO IN YOUR SPARE TIME?

"Currently learning to be a plant mom. Love spending time with my daughters, showing them how to be independent women. I love to travel. Every year, we take a road trip to a different state or take a boat of plane to another country."

HOW WOULD YOU SUM UP MUSKOGEE IN 25 WORDS OR LESS?

"Small town with big opportunities."