What's cooking down South? "Hoppin' John" Taylor has traveled from Hilton Head to Galveston to find out. He's collected more than 200 authentic southern dishes, the best of the old and the new, from the finest private homes in Charleston, a classic Creole restaurant in New Orleans, and the recipe files of the great chefs and cooks in kitchens from Dallas to New Orleans, complete with wine notes. From easy Shrimp Gumbo and old fashioned grits to Country-Fried Steak with Mashed Potatoes and Gravy; from Crab Cakes with Black Bean relish to Green Tomato Soup, the recipes will introduce you to the varied, energetic, often surprising cuisine of today's South; food that nourishes both the body and soul. Hoppin' John makes sure each recipe is easy to prepare and there are no hard-to-find ingredients. The book features contributions from purveyors of high quality food products being produced in the South, new interpretations of classic dishes, and some unlikely sources, like the Lebanese population in Jacksonville, Florida. A series of sidebars throughout the book feature food producers, chefs and unusual ingredients, providing entertaining reading as well as delicious recipes.