In new memoir, John T. Edge explores Southern identity and a troubled family history

In new memoir, John T. Edge explores Southern identity and a troubled family history

Debbie Elliott

October 14, 2025 / 1:48 pm

OXFORD, Miss. — Writer John T. Edge has spent much of his career telling stories about a changing American South filtered through the lens of food and culture . He's published cookbooks and food histories, and he's been a contributor to the New York Times , the now-shuttered magazine, Gourmet, the Food Network, and NPR's Weekend All Things Considered . He also hosts the TV program True South .

Edge, the former director of the Southern Foodways Alliance , has explored a wide range of topics — including the Mississippi hot tamale trail, Atlanta's multicultural Buford Highway, the history of fried chicken, and the unsung cooks who fed civil rig