Taste of the South

Taste of the South helps you savor the unique dishes, cooking personalities and culinary destinations of the South - and now you can enjoy every single page on your tablet! For readers who love Southern cooking or simply experimenting with new flavors, this magazine is a guidebook. Taste of the South is for those who have a passion for good food, at home and on the road. Every issue is a guide to Southern lifestyle.

Taste of the South • July/August 2025 Volume 22, Issue 4

Editor’s Letter

tastes & tools • Delicious Southern-made must-haves

Queen of the Summer • Make this a sunny season to remember

Pasta-bilities • Summer suppers with fresh ingredients that require minimal cooking? Yes, please! Great for picnics, packed lunches, and weeknight meals, these primo pasta salads can all be made ahead and kept cold for beating the heat. Customize them using your favorite pasta, fresh herbs, and spices.

Natural Southern Beauty Comes to Life in Fayetteville, West Virginia • Explore all Fayetteville has to offer, including the New River Gorge National Park & Preserve

Simple Summer Sweet • This yummy dessert’s buttery brown sugar and caramelized plum top paired with velvety almond cake is sweet as a summer day, perfectly delicious alone or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream

Cool and Creamy DIPS • Summer get-togethers, whether for cookouts, block parties, or game nights, call for some serious snacks. These creamy dips are loaded with flavor and come together in a flash.

Just Peachy • Tree-ripened Southern peaches are a summertime favorite, sweet and juicy and bursting with flavor, and this recipe collection includes some seriously tasty ways to enjoy peaches all summer long

2025 taste 50 • WE HAVE GATHERED UP OUR FAVORITE FOOD FINDS, NONPROFITS, RESTAURANTS, EXPERIENCES, CHEFS, INDUSTRY LEADERS, AND SO MUCH MORE, AND WE’RE EXCITED TO SHARE THEM WITH YOU IN OUR 2025 TASTE 50 AWARDS. THIS YEAR’S WINNERS CARRY ON THE TRADITION OF MAKING THE SOUTH A DELICIOUS PLACE TO BE.

Skillet Cookies • Nothing hits the spot like a big, warm skillet cookie, especially when it’s adorned with ice cream or a generous covering of frosting. When presented with multiple spoons for sharing, it’s one of the best possible endings to a meal.

Mayonnaise • This rich and tangy spread is a must-have ingredient for recipes of all kinds

Watermelon • Summer’s superstar, this juicy fruit needs no introduction

Weeknight Suppers • Serve up some of Paula Deen’s impressive yet doable dishes to make a weeknight feel special

Recipe Index

Flip or Flop • This novel piece of cast iron is highly sought after by collectors for its unique function and significant worth