Where to Eat in the South in 2012

Southern food is fast becoming the nation's new "it" cuisine. New York restaurants are all trying their hand at fried chicken, and eateries with a Southern theme are popping up in each of the city's boroughs. Based in the Big Apple, Bon Appetit Magazine called the South "America's New Food Capital" in its February issue. Southerners have long known we have a special cuisine and some downright good food down here, but Southern food used to be limited to home kitchens, with mothers and grandmothers serving as the keepers of family recipes. Now that the rest of America is discovering the cuisine, chefs are stepping up to the plate to show that Southern food can be modern and healthy.