Judy Lewis names chicken pie and grapefruit congealed salad as family favorites.

When I hear the words "Deep South," my hungry imagination conjures not moss-draped trees and plantation houses, but fried chicken, pimiento cheese, deviled eggs, and big fluffy biscuits. Or iced tea, cream pies, and boiled peanuts. And, of course, grits. The inland section that spans Georgia, Alabama, and parts of Mississippi, Tennessee, and South Carolina is our heartland, its foods the very core of Southern cuisine. These dishes find a place on every table and in every Southerner's collective unconscious.

Fresh-From-the-Farm Fine Dining
At Birmingham's Highlands Bar and Grill, chef-owner Frank Stitt's creativity and commitment to fresh local products have made the Cullman, Alabama, native one of the nation's best chefs.

"Southern food, in my mind," he says, "has its roots in small family farms and the farmers who had gardens to provide sustenance. And in the little bit of smoked pork that offered flavor, as well as the chickens, rabbits, and quail that provided meat."

His love of Alabama and its foods brought him home. "I enjoy food memories of summer lunches at my grandparents' farm kitchen," he says. "Memories of freshly pickled peaches, okra, pole beans. Those were such an important part of my history, and it's one of my obligations to incorporate those tastes into the food I serve."

Left: At Watershed, in Decatur, Georgia, chef Scott Peacock offers a vegetable plate with cornbread and pimiento cheese with celery to reflect his South Alabama roots. Right: Nationally renowned Birmingham chef Frank Stitt relies on the freshest locally grown products for his exquisite preparations.

Supper, Southern-Style
Judy Lewis of Athens, Georgia, grew up in the South, and her cooking reflects it. She says, "When I visited aunts, uncles, or friends, Southern food is what we had. Those are the celebrations I remember." She updates the standards by adding fresh herbs from her garden to many dishes, such as chicken pie.

Judy also fries a mean chicken. "I soak it in sweet milk before I roll it in flour and fry it. It makes it brown nicer," she says. "That was my Aunt Velma's trick." Judy's children expect all the fixings to go with it. "You have to have creamed corn, rice and gravy, homemade biscuits, and green beans," she adds.

A Touch of Grace
Sitting in Martha's Place in Montgomery, Alabama, I am as fine as frog hair. I've just downed fried chicken, collards, macaroni pie, squash casserole, and cornbread. Owner Martha Hawkins acknowledges my contented smile with a knowing one of her own.

The daily menu reads like a list of essential Southern dishes: chicken and dumplings, field peas, smothered cabbage, and candied yams. Rutabagas are a favorite, boiled with onions, some sugar, "and that little touch," Martha says with a mischievous giggle.

Fried chicken and collards grace the menu every day. I ask Martha what she does to make her chicken special. "Flour, salt, pepper, and love," she replies. Seems to me that's the secret ingredient of all great food.

Left: Enjoy a traditional vegetable plate at Martha's Place in Montgomery, Alabama. Ours has black-eyed peas, creamed corn, collard greens, candied yams, cornbread, and iced tea. "I serve comfort food," says owner Martha Hawkins. Right: She uses only fresh collards at her restaurant.

A Generous Spirit
Another Alabama-born chef, Scott Peacock of Watershed in Decatur, Georgia, lets his background inspire the food he serves. But it took time away from the South to discover it. He says, "I had to learn that my experience was just as interesting as anyone else's." He describes Southern food as "Generous. Flavorful. At its best, it excruciatingly fresh. And it's honest. It's reflective of the people in many ways--ethnically and in generosity of spirit. In the South, there's always room at the supper table for another person."

This article is from the Favorites 2005 issue of Southern Living.