Forging a Legacy - A Fredericksburg, Texas, couple is creating a new class of heirloom cast-iron cookware

When Jay Mallinckrodt pitched the idea of crafting cast-iron cookware to his wife and business partner, Heather, in 2020, she was hesitant. I immediately said no, she recalls with a laugh. But I finally agreed as long as we made something that we would actually want to use ourselves. Like many others during the initial throes of the pandemic, their multigenerational family operation, Heartland Enterprises (which specializes in machining parts for jet engines and gas and oil equipment), was seeing a lull. “No one was flying; no one was drilling, says Jay. So we had time to try something different.

- By Katlyn Yarborough Sadic - Photographs by Hector Manuel Sanchez

When Jay Mallinckrodt pitched the idea of crafting cast-iron cookware to his wife and business partner, Heather, in 2020, she was hesitant. I immediately said no, she recalls with a laugh. "But I finally agreed as long as we made something that we would actually want to use ourselves". Like many others during the initial throes of the pandemic, their multigenerational family operation, Heartland Enterprises (which specializes in machining parts for jet engines and gas and oil equipment), was seeing a lull. “No one was flying; no one was drilling", says Jay. "So we had time to try something different."

Unsatisfied with the modern cast-iron and nonstick skillets on the market, the Mallinckrodts sought to create a piece that was easy to use and, above all, meant to last. There's such nostalgia around cast iron, and everyone we meet seems to have fond stories of their grandmother's old skillet, says Heather. We thought, "'Surely there are folks wanting to start their own legacy."