Our 2025 Holiday Issue is Here!

Having grown up eating them (my first came to me on a cracker with cocktail sauce, shucked by my father and my uncle in Spartanburg, South Carolina), I eventually went to work on an oyster farm in Massachusetts. (You can read about my journey in my book Shucked.) Today, I am constantly spreading the gospel of oysters through my relationship with the nonprofit Oyster South, which connects the Southern oystering, chef, scientific, and education communities with fellow oyster lovers.

So, I admit to being completely and utterly biased in sharing with you “A Comprehensive Guide to Southern Oysters” — it’s part of my shameless, ongoing agenda to share both the joy and the importance of these magical sea creatures. I’ve heard that oysters can be a polarizing food — you love them or hate them. Regardless of where you fall, you should know that as a keystone species that has been growing on this planet long before us (and will continue long after we’re gone), they are essential for our coastal waterways.

Oysters are also a celebratory food, and we’ve reached high celebration season. My family loves to shuck our own oysters before a big feast like Thanksgiving, and this year, we are going to do that and keep the rest of the meal just as simple. Managing editor Emily Havener and culinary content manager Brittany Furbee pulled together “A Simple Thanksgiving” to help you do that, too. If you’re looking for ideas for a Christmas main, check out Culinary Class to learn how Chattanooga chef Erik Niel treats a bone-in standing rib roast. We’ve also got suggestions for how to make great use of onions and celery, as well as how to toast the holidays with a Champagne cocktail. May we recommend a regional bottle of bubbly for that?

I’ll be raising a glass to all of you who make it possible for us to continue producing our magazine, as well as to the entire team at The Local Palate —y’all make this job a dream!

What I’m Watching: Shellbound

To go along with our oyster feature, we are thrilled to introduce you to Shellbound, a docuseries that shares stories from around the Southern oystering community. Produced in partnership with Oyster South and BLK ELK, a phenomenal production team out of Arkansas, the series is sure to open your eyes to the powerful community being built around bivalves in the South. Find all three episodes at The Local Palate.

Happy holidays,