When Jay Mallinckrodt, head of machining manufacturer Heartland Enterprises, brought home a prototype for a cast-iron skillet two years ago, his wife and business partner, Heather, put it to the ultimate test: a family blueberry cake recipe going back six generations. It passed. The smooth surface prized by many cast-iron enthusiasts had done its job. The couple had found another use for their shop, which had grown quiet during the pandemic, and launched Fredericksburg Cast Iron around the $160 ten-and-a-half-inch skillet, which is made using a ten-step process. Texas Monthly: What was the process like after you decided to make cast-iron skillets? Jay Mallinckrodt: We formed Fredericksburg Cast Iron Co. as a separate business: it contracts with Heartland to machine-make the product. We had the…The post A Fredericksburg Couple Forges a New Path With Their Cast-Iron Pans appeared first on Texas Monthly.