Our Summer 2025 Issue is Here!

I consider myself pinch-me lucky to live in Nashville, a city brimming with food and music, and to work in Charleston, a mecca of Southern cuisine. Whenever I’m in Charleston for work, inevitably I find myself at the Parisian-inspired Felix Cocktails et Cuisine on King Street. The bar is cozy, the food and drinks are well priced, and the bartenders are neighborly. The vibe is what you make it—I’ve sat for drinks and dinner and reveled in a late-night cocktail. I’ve people-watched, celebrated, and simply found a home away from home. But what I really go back for? The burger. 

​Felix’s raclette burger, featured on our cover, is the best kind of food splurge, in that I wouldn’t try to make it at home—that oozing raclette requires a deft hand. But like any good splurge, it hits all my happiness sensors. Burgers do that for a lot of people in this country—in 2020, Americans were consuming about 50 billion burgers per year, according to the USDA. And here in the South, we have a broad range of downhome burger joints, shacks, and fast-food spots to choose from. This issue is an ode to burgers, both the splurges and the ones we make ourselves at home. We bring you our Burger Bonanza, complete with a range of burger recipes and 10 splurge-worthy burgers that are worth every penny (and calorie).

​When I’m not chowing down on burgers in Charleston this summer, you’ll find me cooking outdoors—it’s too hot for the stove or oven to be on! And there’s nothing better than throwing together all the right elements for a seafood boil. These classic Southern do-it-yourself meals are all about getting your hands dirty and communing with a crowd. Sheri Castle delivers instructions for some of our favorites. This season also finds us celebrating Juneteenth, and Houston native Davon Hatchett has all the reasons why, plus a unique snack board made just for the occasion. 

​Hitting the road this summer? We’ve got suggestions for where to stay and which off-the-beaten path joints to hit in our On The Road section, where you’ll also read a piece from North Carolina chef Ricky Moore, who recently found his favorite food moments in the Basque Country of Spain. 

Closer to home, it’s time for strawberries, peaches, honey, and barbecue chicken—you can find all that and more in At The Table. Leave the stove off, fire up the grill, and do your best to soak up every delicious moment. 

What I’m Drinking This Summer

Murrell’s Row Spirits Gin Mignonette

I first tasted this saline, Georgia-based spirit in a martini, paired alongside a platter of Tybee Oyster Company bivalves, and nearly fell off my chair. It was a damn-near perfect pairing. There are hints of Vidalia onion and bay leaf in the gin, plus an earthy, salty brine. I’ll be drinking this all summer either in a gimlet, or the way the makers recommend: with a little tonic and a splash of sherry.

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