Southern Cuisine - Smoke, Spice & Sunday Supper

The American South is comfort on a plate—slow-cooked meats, garden vegetables, and church-supper desserts. It blends African, Indigenous, and European traditions into soulful cooking that centers hospitality and seasonality. Barbecue styles vary by state, but the welcome is universal. Cajun and Creole cuisines of Louisiana add French technique and bold bayou flavors. The “holy trinity” (onion, celery, bell pepper), dark roux, and long-simmered pots define the region’s aroma. Creole leans cosmopolitan and tomato-forward; Cajun is rustic, smoky, and peppery. Iconic dishes include fried chicken, buttermilk biscuits, collard greens, and pecan pie. From Louisiana: gumbo, jambalaya, crawfish étouffée, boudin, and red beans & rice. Coastal kitchens add shrimp and grits, oysters, and catfish po’boys.