Southern Living June 2021

THERE ARE few experiences that bring people together more than a good road trip. I learned this by traveling all over the South with my father, John Evans, starting at around age 10, when I became—bear with me here—a competitive skeet shooter. I wasn’t good at much else in terms of sports, but I had an uncanny ability to hit a clay target with a shotgun, just like my dad. So he started taking me to shooting tournaments on summer weekends. We would go to any city or town within a day’s drive of Memphis—Little Rock, Chattanooga, Lafayette, Paducah, St. Louis, Louisville, Tupelo, Savannah, and even San Antonio. We also drove a lot of back roads, burning up the miles in an old station wagon and occasionally getting lost (another…

WHAT WE’RE LOVING, SHARING, AND CELEBRATING Marinated Sweet Pepper Salad with Ricotta and Summer Herbs Preheat grill to high (450°F to 500°F). Toss 8 medium-size multicolored bell peppers with 1 Tbsp. olive oil. Grill peppers on oiled grates, covered, turning occasionally, until charred in spots and softened, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl; cover with plastic wrap. Let steam 10 minutes. Meanwhile, stir together 1 cup torn fresh herbs (such as basil, mint, and oregano), 2 ½ Tbsp. each red wine vinegar and lemon juice, ¾ tsp. grated garlic, 2 tsp. kosher salt, ¾ tsp. black pepper, and ¼ cup olive oil. Remove and discard skins and seeds from bell peppers; cut flesh into thick strips. Add to herb mixture; toss to coat. Marinate 15 minutes; toss again. Dollop…

ROCHELLE PORTER was nearly 15 years into a corporate career when signs started pointing her in a different direction. First there was a cryptic comment from a total stranger about following a forgotten passion and then a random remark from a Delta Air Lines agent that her name “sounded like a fashion label.” There was just one problem: Porter, a closet creative who had spent her downtime doodling patterns for as long as she could remember, had given up on her fleeting fashion dreams years before. “I loved style but believed at the time that to manufacture anything meant contributing to pollution and unethical labor practices, and I didn’t want to support that,” she says. But Porter isn’t one to ignore signs. So she started researching and soon found out it…

Pretty Does This Texas CEO is working to make the beauty industry more welcoming for all DEEPICA MUTYALA’S commitment to creating a more diverse beauty industry began when she was 16 years old. “I grew up in Sugar Land, a suburb of Houston,” she says. “I was surrounded by a very specific standard of beauty, to the point that I dyed my hair blond and got blue contacts.” But Mutyala quickly realized she could (and should) be making efforts to challenge that standard instead. While working for a beauty start-up in 2015, she launched a YouTube channel. Her second video (in which she uses red lipstick to conceal dark under-eye circles) went viral, prompting Mutyala to become an influencer full-time. “I felt like I was changing the narrative of representation for people who…