WHY ARE THE MOUNTAINS SMOKY?
Kent Whitaker

While driving through the Cherokee National Forest insearch of theperfect pumpkin farm and the perfect pumpkinfor Halloween, my wife, Jamie, and I answered a staggering amount of questions from the back seat from my son Macee and niece Torrey. “Why this, what is that, how tall are those....” We tried our best to get all of the answers about mountains, trees, animals, and “smoke” correct, but I knew more research was needed. Why Are the Mountains Smoky? is a book born from questions coming from the back seat.

Matthew Kent Whitaker was born in Louisville,Kentucky—raised in Nashville, Tennessee. He married a Chattanooga lady and found himself in Chattanooga. They now live in North Georgia. Living, driving, camping, hiking, and being part of the Appalachian Mountains has always been a backdrop in his life. Kent and his wife went to MTSU. He has been in marketing and advertising for over 15 years. He has worked in advertising agencies, newspapers, magazines, radio, and TV. He loves the mountains and the beach! He coached a little league baseball team, built model rockets with his son, and was a Volunteer Rescue Worker for about 8 years. He is also a food writer. He write cookbooks, food articles for newspapers, etc. He has a great web site, does catering, and even teaches classes at a Chattanooga culinary school.