Southern food and food stories are bound together. This book will
reflect people, regardless of where they come form, who claim Southern
food as their own, whether for a lifetime or a mealtime. People feel
deep affection for their local community cookbooks, especially those
well-worn volumes that serve as a timestamp of a particular place and
time. No other type of recipe collection is more generous, gracious, and
welcoming. Before we give you a bite, we Southern cooks have to tell you
about what we've made. Southern food is evocative, so our food and food
stories are bound together in our communities. A memorable Southern
cookbook holds good food and a good read, the equivalent of a brimming
recipe box plus the scribbled notes and whispered secrets that cover the
tips, advice, and stories that a generous cook shares with family
members, friends, and neighbors. These recipes bring all sorts of cooks,
recipes, and stories to a common table to bring readers a cookbook
filled with good things to eat that have something to say.