Southern Living April 2022

“As Southerners, we know that there is no hurt in this world…that cannot be comforted with a casserole.”—RICK BRAGG LAST DECEMBER, about 10 days after a long-track tornado destroyed most of Mayfield, Kentucky, and killed dozens of people in its path, I got an email asking if Southern Living could help decorate some tents where volunteers would be offering Christmas lunch. Two nonprofits, World Central Kitchen (based in Washington, D.C.) and The Lee Initiative (based in Louisville, Kentucky), had been providing thousands of meals to victims of the disaster, and they were hoping we could bring in a little holiday cheer. It was a small gesture considering the scope of the tragedy, but the idea was to give folks something positive to help them through a very difficult time. We said…

Stephanie Hunt WRITER North Carolina native Stephanie Hunt and her family call Charleston, South Carolina, home. She’s a contributing editor for Charleston Magazine, board president of Ibu Foundation, and writer for various publications. For this issue, she captured the soul of Beaufort, South Carolina, in “The Southern Charmer” (page 92). Julia Rutland WRITER Author, Master Gardener, and recipe developer Julia Rutland’s work regularly appears in magazines and on websites. She lives in the wine-country town of Hillsboro, Virginia, with her family. In this month’s cover story, she takes us for a ride along the scenic Blue Ridge Parkway in “The Drive of a Lifetime” (page 106).…

WHAT WE’RE LOVING, SHARING, AND CELEBRATING Simple Cucumber-and-Vidalia Onion Salad Vigorously whisk together ⅓ cup white vinegar, 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, 2 tsp. granulated sugar, 1 tsp. kosher salt, and ½ tsp. cracked black pepper in a medium bowl until sugar dissolves. Add 4 cups thinly sliced English cucumbers, 1 cup thinly sliced Vidalia onion, and 2 Tbsp. torn dill sprigs; stir to combine. Let stand, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes. ACTIVE 10 MIN. TOTAL 10 MIN. SERVES 4 Caramelized Vidalia Onion Pasta with Herbed Breadcrumbs Cook 1 lb. bucatini or spaghetti in boiling salted water according to package directions. Drain; reserve 1 cup cooking water. Heat 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium. Add ½ cup panko and ½ tsp. kosher salt; cook, stirring often, until light golden, 2 minutes. Remove…

GROWING UP in Jacksonville, Florida, Scott Meyer recalls welcoming springtime with a familiar ritual. “I wasn’t usually into jelly, but I loved the mayhaw kind,” he says. “And that was probably because I would go out into the field and help shake the trees.” Named for its monthlong harvest window, the mayhaw grows wild in wetland areas from Florida to Texas, its tart bounty most often gracing tables as a biscuit’s sidekick. Yet for all its loyalty to Southern landscapes, it’s a plant that has gone largely uncelebrated from a commercial and culinary standpoint for decades. So when Meyer’s passion pointed him toward agriculture, he knew the crop to focus on. “It became a dream of mine to push the industry forward,” he says. After Meyer founded Congaree and Penn (a Jacksonville-based…

“WHEN YOU KNOW MORE, drinks taste better,” says Tiffanie Barriere. While working at a high-end bar at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, she became as renowned for her animated stories about ingredients and techniques as for her inventive recipes. When the pandemic hit, Barriere—who’s now an independent mixologist known as The Drinking Coach (thedrinkingcoach.com)—homed in on something she felt would have a bigger impact: the African American influence on cocktails. “I wanted to raise a glass to those who helped execute some of our favorite drinks and never had the pleasure of being recognized for their talents,” she says. On Instagram, she writes about beverage geniuses like John Dabney (a 19th-century Richmond, Virginia, bartender who was beloved for his mint juleps) and Jupiter Evans (an enslaved man who helmed the cider making…

A DESIRE TO MAKE well-crafted clothes is woven into Austin, Texas, designer Miranda Bennett’s DNA. “My grandmother was a home economics teacher,” says Miranda. “She had kept all of her fabrics, scissors, and notions long after she retired.” Today, Miranda has her own line of sustainably and ethically made clothing (shopmirandabennett.com). Like her grandmother, she’s focused on designing garments that last—and go easy on the planet. For instance, Miranda Bennett Studio’s zero-waste initiative ensures that fabric remnants are either incorporated into new products, repurposed as utility rags, or donated to the Austin Area Quilt Guild. Here, Miranda shares why slow fashion matters and the best way to spend a spring weekend in her city. WHEN I STARTED THINKING ABOUT SUSTAINABILITY “There was a lot of stuff I was curious about during my…