okra. Issue 19, 2022 (Preview)

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FA L L I S S U E T

2022

SOCIAL MEDIA COOKS

BLUE IN THE FACE

MUZ’S PANCAKES

A PIECE OF LAND

Meet Four Facebook Cooks Who Found Their Niche

Robert St. John pays tribute to his Grandmother

North Carolina celebrates Blueberries and so much more

Living the Farm Dream In the Heart of Appalachia

Bon appétit, y’all .

Farm to table. Locally sourced. Comfort food. In Mississippi, these aren’t culinary buzzwords. They’re our traditional way of doing things, drawing on recipes and practices that have crossed generations and continents.

Come have a seat at our table, and experience the flavors of Mississippi.

Learn more at VisitMississippi.org/Flavors. #WanderMS

Cathead Distillery | Jackson, Mississippi

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH VISIT MISSISSIPPI

MISSISSIPPI’S WINE & DINE TOWN With everything from Southern cooking to gourmet cuisine, Starkville’s culinary culture is sure to please everyone at your table.

Plan your Starkville visit today.

662.323.3322 Starkville.org

With delectable dishes, 45 miles of scenic trails and an array of shopping, it’s no secret why Ridgeland is the perfect setting for your next getaway.

This vibrant small town with big city vibes offers tastes and landscapes everyone can delight in.

Make your Ridgeland reservations at www.visitridgeland.com/eat.

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42: SOCIAL MEDIA COOKS

Meet four Southern Facebook cooks who have found success sharing their love of cooking

48: STUDIO MAMA

This Nashville, TN chef puts her heart in the mix feeding some of our best-loved musicians

STORIES 56: THIS PIECE OF LAND

Author Eric Dusenberry writes the stories of those who have found their farm dreams in the Appalachians

62: INTO THE WILD BLUE YONDER Every year, Burgaw, NC throws a party and feeds their guests blueberries

We picked 10 iconic Southern foods and asked chefs around the South to share their recipes

Photograph by m-gucci

70: LET'S EAT!

CHAPTERS EDITORIAL

TO DINE SOUTHERN

PG 8: EDITOR’S LETTER

PG 30: ENTHUSIASTIC SOUTHERNER

PG 11: OUR CONTRIBUTORS

PG 33: GATHERING

Robert St. John pays tribute to his Grandmother’s pancakes–the best in the world.

With so many choices, what makes Southern Food so special?

Louisiana’s International Festival brings together many cultures for a party full of food and fun.

The people who make our stories come to life.

PG 12: MAKING A DIFFERENCE

At Drexel and Honeybee’s, in Brewton, AL, this donation only restaurant, not only feeds the body, but nourishes the soul.

PG 36: ON OUR PL ATE

Eight Row Flint in Houston, TX is changing our idea about the humble taco with their home made tortillas.

PG 38: NOTEWORTHY

At Truth BBQ in Texas, the humble Tater Tot is elevated to a fan favorite in this decadent casserole.

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24 SOUTHERN COMFORTS

A ROAD LESS TRAVELED

PG 16: TIPPING HIS HAT

PG 100: THE QUEEN CIT Y

Reggie Sherard founded Nathan Mason hats in Huntsville, AL because he believes hats are not just an accessory, but THE accessory .

PG 20: BY SOUTHERN HANDS You’ll want these finds made by locals.

PG 24: DIGGING DEEP

Andrew Duhon takes his new album on the road and ponders living authentically.

PG 26: LONELY AIN’T EASY

B J Barham of American Aquarium finds inspiration in life’s quieter moments.

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Explore the rebirth of Mississippi’s second largest city–Meridian.

PG 106: WHERE WE WENT

Mt. Nebo Baptist Church, Nettles’ Death Masks, Clarke County, AL.

SOUTHERN SNAPSHOTS PG 84: NEIGHBORHOOD TRADITION Juneau’s Sandwich Shop has been serving locals in this suburb of New Orleans since 1952.

PG 88: RESIDENT GHOST Do you believe in

FRONT COVER

How do you like your bacon?

Photography by Veselova Elena

ghosts? Pendleton, SC does. They invite you to visit.

PG 92: L AY OF THE L AND

Our readers submit photos of their special Southern places and people.

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EDITOR’S LETTER

What makes Southern food so special? We belive it’s the people who cook it.

Southern food is not just a joining–it’s more of a collision–of cultures. It’s those same cultures and traditions, both good and bad, that keep it alive.

There are many cultures that directly contributed to Southern food, but the biggest influence was left by Native Americans (corn, preservation with salt pork), slaves (seeds like okra and black-eyed peas), and Europeans (pork).

Who doesn’t enjoy a meal with these things?

Bacon, anyone?

The South has always been dependent on farming. We grow gardens and share produce.

Grandaddy always had a large garden, much larger than his family of six needed, but it was known in their small community that if you needed it, you could go help yourself to anything from his garden. He was not alone in this community spirit. Survival was key to South-

“WELL SOUTHERNERS LIKE TO EAT WELL. YOU SEE, IT’S AN EVENT WHEN IT’S DONE RIGHT” Stan Shaw

ern cuisine.

But that survival includes the community.

Think of the affect the culture of BBQ has had on our lives and how it came about. Families raised their hogs together and shared the chore

of slaughter and preserving. Friends were invited, meals were shared. These parties helped to create long lasting friendships within the community. Men exchanged farming and hunting techniques, women cooked together and exchanged recipes. Children formed lifelong bonds.

Communities flourished.

In this, our annual Southern Food Culture issue, we find that things really haven’t changed all that much¬. We may not be struggling to survive in the country like our ancestors, but we still love a good party and we still love to cook and garden.

We are glad to see the party spirit is still alive and well at a very big party with more than 40,000 “friends” at the Blueberry Festival in Burgaw, North Carolina. All things blueberry and much more.

While our kitchens are modern and we have any food available at our fingertips, we still yearn for the taste of home. Facebook users have discovered several cooks on their feeds who will gladly share their advice (cooking, life, and spiritual). These cooks are surprised at their own popularity, but we love their feeds. It’s like old home week when we watch them. And the food is great, too.

There’s much more in our pages, so we hope you enjoy the recipes, the stories of people returning to their roots and all the places to visit.

The future of Southern food looks good. Traditions will be saved by sharing and our cuisine will continue to evolve as new cultures are introduced into our lives. After all, we are a melting pot of cultures, and our cuisine reflects it.

Scott Speakes // Publisher

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Genie Gaither Jones // Editor-in-Chief

Photograph by Penny Aligood

Explore the South In each issue of okra you’ll find inspiring stories about the people, places and cultures that shape the South without sacrificing the traditional essence of the Southern identity.

SUBSCRIBE TODAY @ OKRAMAGAZINE.COM

STAFF

Scott Speakes Publisher Genie Gaither Jones Editor-in-Chief Rebecca Cashwell Design Director Robert St. John J. M. McSpadden Liesel Schmidt Contributing Editors Richard L. Jones Copy Editor

Advertising Sales Specialists Brittany Sanders brmcdonald45@gmail.com Scott Speakes scott@okramagazine.com

CONNECT WITH US facebook.com/okramagazine @okramag contact@okramagazine.com

Published by Southbound Publishing, Inc.

okramagazine.com

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CONTRIBUTORS JENNIFER STEWART KORNEGAY is a freelance writer and editor based in Montgomery, AL. Her work has appeared in Garden & Gun, Southern Living, The Bitter Southerner, The Local Palate, thekitchn.com, Bake From Scratch, Paste, Travel&Leisure. com, Nashville Lifestyles, Birmingham magazine, Alabama magazine, Georgia Magazine, Alabama Living magazine and more.

She’s interested in everything, will write about almost anything but most often reports on Southern culture, food and travel. jenniferkornegay.com DEBORAH BURST is a New Orleans native, author, and award winning writer/photographer with a portfolio of more than a thousand articles and photos including national covers. She has written five travel/photo books featuring the South, its people, critters, landscapes, mystical legends and historic architecture. From hidden graveyards to the shrouded bayous and forests, Deb gives a voice to all. deborahburst.com

ERIC DUSENBERY utilizes the power of the still photograph and frequently uses the traditions of the large format film camera for editorial, documentary and commissioned projects. With a B.A. Cinema & Photography from Southern Illinois University, his photography has been widely exhibited and his work has appeared in numerous national publications. He is an award-winning journalist, speaker, author/photographer of two books and is the recipient of several grants and sponsorships to produce documentary projects that tell stories to preserve the human spirit. Dusenbery is concurrently working on two documentary projects about rural and small town cultural studies and industrial diversity.

ROY SCOTT retired as Clemson University’s director of Public Service Marketing in 2010. He was the executive producer of the popular South Carolina ETV Radio program, Your Day, and hosted on-air features about Southern people, places and history. In addition, he executive-produced the public television nature program, Expeditions with Patrick McMillan, and the travel series, Your Day On the Road. An Air Force veteran, Roy enjoys his volunteer work with military veterans and their families.

J. M. MCSPADDEN is a freelance writer and music enthusiast whose work has appeared online at theflamestillburns.com, and at mbird.com, a journal that examines faith in the real world. His love for roots music led to a gig at nodepression.com, where he reported on live music from The Birchmere, the famed music hall in Washington, DC. He is fascinated with the way words and music impact our lives and can be used as a vehicle for healing. Host of The Village Night Owl podcast, an interview show featuring musical artists, he lives in Virginia with his wife Suzanne where he is at work on his first novel.

MARIANNE LEEK is a retired high school educator who continues to teach part-time at Tri-County Community College.

She lives with her husband in western North Carolina, where she spends much of her free time enjoying the outdoors. Her work can be found in The Bitter Southerner.

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MAKING A DIFFERENCE

“ LISA AND FREDDIE ARE BOTH CONCERNED WITH PEOPLE’S PRIDE AND DON’T WANT ANYONE TO FEEL EMBARRASSED BY THEIR CIRCUMSTANCE.

“

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feeding the need

A D O N A T I O N O N LY R E S T A U R A N T W H E R E A L L A R E W E LCO M E D Written and Photographed by Julian Brunt

Drexell and Honeybee’s isn’t very different in many ways from many small-

important idea, and a fundamental part of humanity; people sharing food and

town restaurants you will find across the South. It’s a very pleasant place,

friendship in a common space.

newly remodeled by the owners, Lisa and Freddie McMillan, with high wooden

While I was there, three visitors from Mobile came in. The restaurant was

ceilings, plenty of tables and a few booths, and black and white tile floors. The

closed, but Lisa seated the guests and made a quick snack of tuna fish and

atmosphere is pleasant, almost like walking into a good friend’s kitchen, and

crackers for them anyway. That’s just the kind of place this is.

Lisa and Freddie are as pleasant and cordial as any hosts you will find. I can’t

There is a donation box, looking like an old telephone booth, for privacy

help but use the Hemingway title, a clean well-lighted place, to describe this

purposes, so you can make any size donation you like or can afford. Freddie

restaurant. It is charming, spotlessly clean, and comfortable.

told me that almost everyone makes a donation of some sort, and it works well

Brewton is a shadow of what it once was, like so many small farm towns,

enough to keep this place open. But Lisa and Freddie are both concerned with

the agricultural economy has just slipped away. The town center is lined with

people’s pride and don’t want anyone to feel embarrassed by their circum-

brick buildings, some two stories high, but most seem vacant. It isn’t hard to

stance. A ploy they have used before, when someone looks uncomfortable, is

imagine how busy this place must have been with wagons and horses, and lat-

to tell them that if they can name the musical artist who is playing (someone

er model T cars, and later still family station wagons and pickup trucks lining

pretty obvious, like Nat King Cole), the meal is on the house.

the streets, and the shops busy and prosperous. But times have changed. But

I have known a lot of restaurant people in my many years as a food writer, fa-

there are still plenty of people out and about, so Brewton still retains some of

mous chefs, cooks trying to make their way in a very competitive business, but

its original charm, it’s just slowed down in its old age.

I have never meet two people more concerned with humanity, and the com-

Drexell and Honeybee’s serves its Southern style food from a help yourself

mon good. The entire time I spoke with the two owners, their only concerns

buffet. In the old days, if a small southern town had a restaurant, a diner re-

were with their customers–people from all walks of life that come through

ally, the food they served would be almost exactly what you would have found

their doors needing to be fed. This is a business model most business minded

at home, at least on Sunday, and that is what you will get here as well. You

experts would laugh at, but it works, and you just can’t help but think that per-

can expect to find fried chicken, meatloaf, chicken pot pie, barbecued ribs

haps there is some hope for humanity, as long as there are good folks like Lisa

and sides like macaroni and cheese, cabbage, and fried okra, plus yeast rolls

and Freddie around. One hundred percent of donations go to the operational

and bread pudding. It’s all homemade and absolutely delicious. If you are a

cost of feeding the hungry.

Southerner of a certain age, you are going to feel nostalgic for grandmom’s Sunday table.

Drexell and Honeybee’s is a little bit off the beaten path, maybe thirty minutes from Interstate 65, but it is a pleasant drive through gently rolling hills

But in one very important way, Drexell and Honeybee’s is very different in-

and it always feels good to get out in the country again. You are going to be

deed. Walk in, grab a plate, and take one entrée, two sides, bread, and dessert,

delighted to meet, Lisa and Freddie McMillan and you are going to enjoy a very

find a table and sit with your family or friends and enjoy a classic Deep South

fine meal and, no matter the size of the donation you make, you are going to

meal. When you are done, just get up and go. What? Where’s the waitstaff with

feel better about the world when you leave.

the ticket? Where the heck is the cash register? Its all free. Lisa and Freddie call it a “donation only restaurant where all are welcomed.”

The basic premise is that hungry people need to be fed, and that people

Drexell and Honeybee’s 109 Lee Street

should come together around a table and share not only food, but conversation

Brewton, AL

as well. Freddie told me that in the four years since they opened, they have

251-727-2411

seen people coming together and getting along in ways that they previously

Tuesday – Thursday 11 am to 1 pm

did not. Total strangers might start up a conversation or share a table. It’s an

drexellandhoneybees.com

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ALL OUT Dine.

ALL OUT Unwind.

We’re constantly crafting ways to create memorable moments. From refined cuisine to a family friendly scene, discover new and delicious experiences in Columbus. Come see why we were named “GEORGIA’S COOL CAT CITY” by Forbes.

VisitColumbusGA.com

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CHAPTER 1

SOUTHERN COMFORTS

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Photo: Andrew Shurtleff

S T Y L E

WITH A TIP OF THE HAT FOR “THE HAT DUDE” HATS AREN’T MERELY AN ACCESSORY— THEY “ARE” THE ACCESSORY Written by Liesel Schmidt / Photography Courtesy of Reggie Sherard For Reggie Sherard, hats aren’t merely an accessory—they are the accessory.

By July of 2021, serendipity stepped in to give him the nudge he needed

They’re a way of life and an expression of self, an attitude, and a symbol of

to take things to the next level. “I was visiting my home city of Huntsville,

character. Generations of men have worn hats in his family, and the tradition

Alabama, and I stopped at the local mall, Parkway Place Mall,” Sherard says.

continued with the Alabama native even as a young man. Known more by

“I was walking around, looking to see what new stores they had, and I came

his nickname of “the hat dude” than he was by his actual name as he went

across a pop-up space. I immediately felt it was time to step out and take

through school, the path his life eventually took may have been written in the

my hats public to see what happened. I opened up as a pop-up hat shop in

stars—and now, it’s written in the band of

September of 2021 with the intention of it

a hat.

being a 30-day pop up, but 30 led to 60

The story itself starts, of course, with a hat.

days. Then 60 led to 90 days, and things

A fedora, to be more precise. As an adult,

didn’t slow down. So much so that I was

Sherard found a lack of options when it

able to hire two people to help with the hol-

came to finding fedoras that would fit him,

iday rush of orders. By the end of the year, I

and when he did, those available seemed

knew I had to decide whether I was going to

less than inspiring to him. “I wanted more

shut down the pop-up space and fully go on-

hats, but the color and design options were

line or find a permanent space in Huntsville.

very scarce,” he says. Living in Washington,

Considering all of the people that stopped

DC, in 2018, he took matters into his own

by to say they were happy I was there, and

hands and enlisted the help of a milliner

that Huntsville and the surrounding area

and former hat store owner. “I asked him to

needed a hat shop, I decided to open up a

teach me how to make hats myself, and he showed me the process of creating them,”

permanent space in the mall.”

Reggie Sherard

In February 2022, Nathan Mason hats was launched as a permanent location, and

says Sherard.

With essentially a mere eight hours of training, Sherard learned the basics of

since then, the company has proven its staying power as both an online cus-

millinery—and he walked away with his interest sparked to learn even more.

tom hat maker as well as a brick-and-mortar milliner. What makes the compa-

He spent many hours researching and learning the art of hat making on his

ny so special is, of course, the product—but also the passion and inspiration

own, as well as learning the history and culture of millinery, which naturally

behind it. “My family are a great inspiration to me,” says Sherard, who arrived

led to making custom hats for himself. “I would wear them out, and people

at the moniker of Nathan Mason by combining the names of his three sons.

took notice and inquired about whatever hat I was wearing,” he recalls. “A few

“I wanted to build something that I can pass on to them, a legacy to leave

people bought them right off my head. So once that happened a few times, a

behind. My love for the art of hat making is inspired by things and people I

lightbulb came on. I started advertising custom hats to friends, family, and via

see. Finding out someone’s story inspires me in creating a hat specifically for

social media. It was a slow start, but that slow pace of things was beneficial to

them and customized to them.”

me because I still needed to perfect my craft, as I was still learning.”

The creation process is, of course, part of the magic, and what sets the hats

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SOUTHERN COMFORTS

“LIVE YOUR LIFE. DO YOUR WORK. THEN TAKE YOUR HAT.” Henry David Thoreau

apart from anything mass-produced. “I start with a blank fur felt made of rabbit, a rabbit and beaver mix, 100 percent beaver, or Ecuadorian hand-woven straw,” Sherard says. “The first step is to measure the customer’s head to get the accurate size. Next, I steam the fur felt so I can stretch it over a hat block customized to the customer’s head size. Hat blocking requires me to stretch the hat body over the hat block, allowing it to dry for 48 hours. Next, we cut the brim down to the customer’s desired size before sanding the hat for a smooth finish. We then sew in the sweat band and a hat band on the outside.

Finally, we shape the crown to the customer’s desired shape.”

Quality is paramount with each Nathan Mason hat, something that is clear in the attention to detail and the extremely hands-on processes used to create every piece, as well as the materials. “Our handmade hats use high-quality fur felt material, which is not the same as most mass-produced hats that are made of wool or wool blend, so you can definitely see and feel the difference in what we create,” says Sherard.

In Sherard’s estimation, those handmade works of art he creates are perfect for anyone—even someone who may not have ever pictured themselves wearing a hat. “Because I make custom hats of all varieties for different types of people, it’s perfect for literally anyone,” he says. “Everyone’s idea of a custom hat is different, and I create what they imagine. When someone tells me they are not a ‘hat person,’ what they are really saying is that they just haven’t found the perfect hat. I love proving to people that they’re wrong. There’s a hat for everybody. Take a chance and let me prove it to you by helping you create the perfect custom hat just for you.”

The future looks good and plans for the company include scaling the business by offering other hat styles in addition to their signature fedoras as well as a clothing line and grooming products. Sherard also plans to do more pop-up shops in other cities across Alabama and offer hat making beginner classes.

If you are in the Huntsville area, you can find Nathan Mason Hats at Parkway Place Mall, 2801 South Memorial Pkwy, Suite 164, Huntsville, AL 35801.

For more information: nathanmasonhats.com

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GENERATIONS OF MEN HAVE WORN HATS IN HIS FAMILY, AND THE TRADITION CONTINUED WITH THE ALABAMA NATIVE EVEN AS A YOUNG MAN, EARNING HIM THE NICKNAME OF “THE HAT DUDE” 19

SOUTHERN COMFORTS

F O O D

M A M A’ S S E C R E T S A business is only as successful as its products, and for Mama’s Sefor the product as Irma herself. crets, success has been written on the wall (or in the dough) since “Beverlye used to make cookies commercially and has a ‘taster’s before it was even officially a company. Created from a recipe that has tongue,’ meaning she can pick out any ingredients in a product or been loved for generations, the cookies that now bear the know which flavors to add to a product to make it taste logo have been a passion project for owners David Brooks exceptional,” says David. “When we took over Mama’s and his wife, Beverlye Brady Brooks. “Our good friend, Secrets last year, we made sure that we could replicate Irma Robinson, use to make these cookies by hand from the exact flavor that our customers had been used to. her grandmother’s recipe and share them with friends, Once we had perfected that process, we started tinkerbring them to church functions, and make them wheneving with other flavors. So far, we have added chocolate, er people requested them—which was almost constantlemon, and peppermint to the lineup. We are currently ly!” says David. “She called them ‘secrets’ instead of working on several more flavors, including a toffee secret cookies because she used to hide under the bed and and a few more surprises.” eat them growing up so that no one would see her (until Still based in Opelika, Mama’s Secrets are quintessenthe powdered sugar gave her away). When my wife and tially Southern—from its roots to its production. “Being I got married, we served the cookies at our wedding and able to produce and develop this amazing product in the when it was over, we saw people stuffing the leftovers South gives us great inspiration and joy,” says David.

David Brooks into bags, purses, or anything else they could get their “We want to continue creating products that are ‘Southhands on to take them home.” ern Inspirations,’ from mint julip cookies to shortbread.”

Officially started in 2015, “after years of poking, prodding and encourAvailable at over 200 retailers throughout the Southeast and as far aging Irma to make them,” as David recalls. Robinson used Beverlye’s away as Maine and California, Mama’s Secrets are also available online commercial bakery in Opelika, Alabama, as the birthplace of the busiat mamassecretcookies.com. Boasting a great deal of return customers, ness, using her grandmother’s recipe. They took their first batches to the cookies are clearly loved—and great for any occasion. “We have the Atlanta Gourmet Gift show in 2016 and won “Best in Category” actually heard of people sitting down with a bag and finishing them and the rest, as they say, is history. Seven years later, the Brooks now off in one sitting.” own and operate the company—and they have every bit as much love Written by Liesel Schmidt

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