There’s no mistaking that the reigning Miss Alabama, Ashley Davis, knows her roots well. In fact, she made sure guests attending the recent Southern Women’s Show event in Birmingham realized she proudly hails from Dothan, Ala., a southeastern city that is also known as the “Peanut Capital of the World.”

Ashley’s platform is the March of Dimes, and with good reason. She chose the March of Dimes because she was born prematurely and knew the fear and anxiety that her parents went through.

It is with that tie to the March of Dimes that further links her ties with Alabama peanut growers. In 1998, the Alabama Peanut Producers Association and the Alabama State Chapter of the March of Dimes formed a partnership to promote peanuts and the health benefits of a home-grown product. Peanuts are a good source of folic acid. One ounce of roasted peanuts provides 10% (41 micrograms) of the daily value of folate, the naturally occurring form of the B vitamin folic acid, recommended for the reduction of birth defects and lowered heart disease risk.

Ashley also joined Chef Phillippe Robeles - executive chef with The Resort Collection of Panama City Beach, on the cooking stage at the show, whipping up tasty peanut dishes.