This week on Chefs Story we have John T Edge, who actually, (for the first time in this shows history) is not a chef! Nonetheless, Mr. Edge is known throughout the food industry as a writer and educator, especially within southern culture. Edge holds an MA in Southern Studies from the University of Mississippi, and an MFA in Creative Nonfiction from Goucher College. He is director of the Southern Foodways Alliance, an institute of the Center for the Study of Southern Culture at the University of Mississippi, where he documents, studies, and celebrates the diverse food cultures of the American South. His magazine and newspaper work has also been featured in ten editions of the Best Food Writing compilation. In 2009, he was inducted into Beards Whos Who of Food and Beverage in America, and in 2012, he won the James Beard Foundations M.F.K. Fisher Distinguished Writing Award. Edge talks about a variety of topics in todays episode, ranging from the history of the South and the Civil Rights Movement, the rise of southern chefs and southern cuisine (Sean Brock and Chris Shepherd), and how he works within the Southern Foodways Alliance to further educate those interested in southern food. Tune in today to learn more about the history, cuisine, and inspiration behind southern cooking from the expertise of John T Edge! This program has been sponsored by White Oak Pastures. I think what we have in the South, because of the Civil Wars and the Civil Rights Movement, I want them to think more about the Civil Rights movement, because that to me is the defining struggle. [15:30] There are more and more students looking to get a Masters degree on Southern Studies. [40:23] My dream for the south is that we acknowledge our ugly past and work towards a beautiful future. [45:30] -- John T Edge on Chefs Story