TECUMSEH ? Toni Boyles grew up in an A&W restaurant her parents owned in Independence.

“I was a whiz-bang at root beer floats, french fries and hamburgers,” Boyles said.

Now, she’s a whiz-bang at hundreds of recipes — everything from Caramel French Toast to I Should Have Ordered That Meatloaf.

Sitting in the 1928 building that used to serve as the Tecumseh Social Service Club, Boyles recently discussed how she became a successful business owner and cook. The building is home to Boyles’ business, A Place in Time. She is a human resource professional who offers leadership training, management consulting and conference speeches.

“I wanted to have a training center,” she said. “The first year we were here, we weren’t going to cater. It took on a life of its own.”

She has been cooking ever since. She caters staff retreats, weddings, receptions, family reunions, holiday parties and anniversaries. Couples who remember meeting at a dance at the Social Service Club are now celebrating their 50th wedding anniversaries there.

It also has allowed Boyles to gather some scrumptious recipes. People who have worked for her during the past 11 years have tweaked recipes and even developed new ones in Boyles’ kitchen. She has a white folder with big black letters on the front that read P.I.T. recipes. A co-worker used to refer to Place in Time as the Pit, and the name stuck.

“It has been a great experience,” Boyles said, adding that she and her husband are considering auctioning off the property and business sometime in the future because they may retire.

People from all over Kansas and surrounding states book Boyles because of her food and expertise, including Wichita State University, Washburn University and the Shawnee County Sheriff’s Department.

“The food is just outstanding,” said Shawnee County Sheriff Richard Barta. “I have not had a poor meal there. The meatloaf seems to be really popular.”