Okra Issue 2 2017 Preview

T

ISSUE NO. 2T

2017

FindingHome TOWN : MADE : GROWN PRIDE OF PLACE

Ben & Erin Napier show off their hometown of Laurel, MS

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Keeping it all in the family in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains

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A hidden blues lover’s dream in a neighborhood of Bessemer, AL COURIR DE MARDIS GRAS

Making a run for Fat Tuesday in Louisiana’s Cajun Country

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50: BEN & ERIN NAPIER Share their love of Laurel and small town living

62: ANKIDA RIDGE VINEYARDS Listen to your dreams and follow your heart

72: HOMEGROWN COTTON Carrying on family traditions and starting your own

STORIES

80: BOURBON PILGRIMAGE

Richard Grant takes us on a tour through Kentucky’s Bourbon country

88: CAJUN COUNTRY Courir de Mardi Gras This isn’t New Orleans

CHAPTERS EDITORIAL

TO DINE SOUTHERN

PG 8: EDITOR’S LETTER

PG 36: THE SOUTHERN TABLE

PG 14: MAKING A DIFFERENCE

PG 39: COME FOR SUPPER

PG 132: MAGEE’S SOUTHERN ACCENT

PG 44: ON OUR PL ATE

Home means different things for each of us

A beloved aunt leaves a lasting legacy

Making a difference for foster kids in the South

Food has consequences. A view from the boucherie.

Chadwick Boyd adds freshness to our old recipes

Listen to the Mockingbird

PG 46: IN OUR GL ASS

Argue with your friends over which Julep is best

46

120

98 SOUTHERN COMFORTS

A ROAD LESS TRAVELED

PG 18: COMPELLED TO PAINT

PG 120: WANDERING

The art of a Southern Impressionist

PG 23: BY SOUTHERN HANDS You’ll want these finds made by locals

PG 28: PAGES

Author Cabot Barden brings history to life

PG 30: LISTEN UP

The Steel Wheels usher in a new American sound

PG 32: LOOK FOR

Wesley Cook makes his own way

Greenwood extends Deep South hospitality down in the Delta

39 SOUTHERN SNAPSHOTS

PG 127: SOMETHING ELSE A Kentucky museum for dummies

PG 130: SOUTH AND ABOUT What’s happening around the South

PG 134: WHERE WE WENT

Lauren Rogers Museum in Laurel, MS

PG 98: ALONG THE ROAD Not your usual backyard party

PG 104: SOUTHERN C HARACTER The last of a breed in New Orleans

PG 106: L AY OF THE L AND Readers share photos of their South

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STAFF Scott Speakes Publisher Genie Gaither Jones Editor-in-Chief Ellen Rogers Howle Managing Editor Rebecca Cashwell Design Director Lynae Bryant Visual Communication Artist Allen Ransom Digital Imaging Specialist Tom Ramsey Matthew Magee Contributing Editors Ellen Rogers Howle Julia L. Haynes Elizabeth Tate Copy Writers Richard L. Jones Copy Editor Gordon Lynch Scott Speakes Lena Seaborn Photography Ann Presley Advertising Sales Manager annpresley@okramagazine.com Katie Kunsman Advertising Sales Specialist katie@okramagazine.com advertising@okramagazine.com Advertising Panaprint, Inc. Printing Sappi Papers, Inc. Special Thanks

Published by Southbound Publishing, Inc. P O Box 4107 Cleveland, MS 38732

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EDITOR’S LETTER

There is nothing better

than going home. No matter who you are this is a fact. Here in the South, we all go home for different reasons, and there are times when the various stages in life can show us what home really is to each of us.

Some of us move away, thinking we’ll find something “better” out in the world. But, upon returning to what we call home, find that rediscovering what that means becomes worth more than gold. How many of us have been busy with work and life, and unable to return to our hometown, or our parents’ homes? And, then, whether it’s a holiday or other occasion that brings us there, we are back – and even though we know exactly where the grocery stores are, or the barbeque place is that we love, it becomes new in our eyes; and feels like the doors to our souls have been opened wide.

Returning to a place we love grounds us.

It makes everything both tradition and treasure, all at the same time. Finding the street where we walked that day and found that four leaf clover is precious, but so is seeing that there is a new spot to eat seafood, or that the bakery that made your birthday cakes now takes credit cards for payment.

Just driving over a state line can make us happy. Crossing that border from one state into another, builds excitement about the prospect of all we will rediscover. The drive could be finished with eyes closed, but we wouldn’t dare – we don’t want to miss one single thing. Even the color of the dirt is calming. Driving down the streets where we ran as children, both into and out of the stores, making lists in our heads of how to get that hat or paper kite takes us back to a time when everything in life seemed possible.

Home is where we have our roots. Family is important. The idea of living in homes and on the same land that our ancestors did is important to us as a way to connect to the past but build the future. We may find ourselves doing what generations before us have done by keeping a family business going. Honoring a family tradition in this way has kept many of our Southern families working together and making a living.

Realizing where you have been in life can make home even more meaningful. Sometimes, when we get back to where we’re from we realize that we’re misplaced – so to speak – in life. Living in a big city isn’t for everyone; neither is living on the coast, if your heart is in the mountains. The sooner we find that out for ourselves, the better. That lesson seems simplistic to realists, but it’s not. Having the courage to find that for you and your family? That takes both guts and time.

So, in the end, finding home is finding magic. It is the place where you can feel most grounded, yet able to dream of what you can be.

Scott Speakes // Publisher

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ISSUE NO. 2

Genie Gaither Jones // Editor-in-Chief

Ellen Rogers Howle // Managing Editor

CONTRIBUTORS

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JENNIFER STEWART KORNEGAY is a freelance writer and editor based in Montgomery, Ala. Her work has appeared in and on Garden & Gun, Southern Living, The Bitter Southerner, The Local Palate, thekitchn.com, Bake From Scratch, Paste, Travel&Leisure.com, Nashville Lifestyles, Good Grit, Birmingham magazine, Alabama magazine, Georgia Magazine, Alabama Living magazine and more. She’s interested in everything, will write about almost anything but most often reports on Southern culture, food and travel. http://www.jenniferkornegay.com

<

DENNY CULBERT Lafayette based commercial and documentary food photographer, Denny Culbert, has crisscrossed the country to photograph chefs and bartenders all over the Unite States, but he is just as happy at home in Cajun country documenting the culinary communities of south Louisiana. He is a regular contributing photographer for the SFA’s Gravy, Garden & Gun, and The Local Palate, and creates brand images for the likes of Tabasco, Texas de Brazil, and Honey Baked Ham. Culbert is currently working with chef Isaac Toups on his upcoming cookbook. http://www.dennyculbert.com

ISSUE NO. 2

RORY DOYLE works as a university photojournalist and freelance photographer based in Cleveland, Mississippi. Doyle’s client and publication list includes: The Wall Street Journal, Getty Images, U.S. News, The Atlantic, CNN, Forbes, Reebok, Men’s Journal, The Marshall Project, Bitter Southerner, The Local Palate, Teach for America, Spartan Race and more. With a passion for travel, he has also had assignments in Southeast Asia, Central and South America, Poland, Russia and more.

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GROWL BROS. Justin & Chris are both from Atlanta, and based there, near the oldest mountains in the world, the Appalachians, where they hike and ride as much as possible. But they’ve been influenced by exploring New Zealand, skiing the Canadian Rockies, shooting photographs in India, talking to a Georgia taxidermist they found on Craigslist, and enjoying a slice of brisket that smoked all night in a rural Texas pit before arriving on their plates. They like grit and grace, the hills over yonder, merriment right here, and being married—though not to each other, except in a business sense. They make photographs—portraits, product shots, adventure and documentary narratives—that make people smile and wonder. http://www.growlbros.com https://www.instagram.com/growlbros/

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CHARLES BETHEA is an Atlantabased journalist whose work regularly appears in Outside and The New Yorker.

He tweets @charlesbethea http://charlesbethea.com

<

GREG MCWILLIAMS is from the biggest little town in Alabama – Munford, located at the foot of Cheaha Mountain.

He is a product of two large families, one with 10 brothers and sisters, and the other with 11, and more aunts, uncles, and cousins than the law should allow. He spends most weekends as a sports photographer, and can be found throughout the southeast at a NASCAR event or a college football game. He has been published in Sports Illustrated, ESPN the Magazine, Street and Smiths, NASCAR Illustrated, Lindy’s, USA Today, Washington Post, and many other publications. He enjoys spending his free time with his fiancée, and exploring cool little cafe’s, restaurants, and beach bars along the Gulf and Southeastern coast.

SE C O N D

HEL PIN G

okramagazine.com

”

THANKS FOR YOUR KIND WORDS.

You’ve made us feel loved.

“There is a new magazine on the stands. It is truly inspiring and deeply Southern – it brings you home.

I have never devoured a magazine like I have this one, and I am eager for the next issue.” Jordan H

T

PREMIERE ISSUET

2017

“This magazine has heart and soul, so rich with beautiful stories and images. Gorgeous.” Christine V

“This magazine is all things Southern and makes me want to travel to all of these amazing places that they talk about. We have loved reading it and love everything about it!” Jared T

“Y’all need to grab this great new magazine that celebrates real Southern culture. Just like us!” Liza J

ISSUE

“Got my first issue with my first order from Peach Dish with old Gillespie on the cover and it’s so cool!” Patricia H DEFENDING SOUTHERN FOOD

Chef Kevin Gillespie’s Love Affair With Southern Fare THE SUPPER TABLE

Celebrating A Cajun Heritage

“Well done guys. I’m hooked.” Chris T

Hidden South

“If you have not had a chance to see the premier issue of okra. magazine, you must go take a look! The stories, recipes and gorgeous photos take me right back to my childhood, visiting grandparents and aunts and uncles in small towns across the South.” Shea A “Have you seen this new, amazing magazine – okra. Real Southern Culture? It’s a lovely publication with interesting articles about food, music, artists, new places to explore and more. You don’t dare skip a page.” Jennifer M

“Received my copy yesterday, and it’s even better than I had hoped for. Thanks. Keep up the great work!” Michael M

“I can’t praise okra. magazine enough for producing such a stunning first issue of their new magazine focusing on the unique people, places and food of the South. Please trust me – you’ll want to follow and subscribe.” Rory D

”

THE LIAR’S CLUB

A Virginia Community Elevates Lying to an Art RANDOM JOURNEY

An Eye-Opening Visit to Charming Washington, Georgia

“Just received my copy today! It really is a lovely first day of Spring gift! Congratulations on a job well done!” P J M “Still swooning over okra. magazine. Go check these guys out…they’re doing big things in the South! ” Bryant H “If you haven’t already, get your hands on a copy of this beautiful new publication detailing stories of the South!” Barkley S

RECIPE SWAP LOOK FOR THE NEXT ISSUE OF OKRA. MAGAZINE ON NEWSSTANDS AUGUST 22.

The internet may have its flaws with

fake news and way too many selfies and pictures of cats, but it does allow for our communities to reach beyond their former geographical limits. Let’s use this technology

to

make

our worlds a little more delicious. I’ll post a theme and a recipe each month and you, our readers can submit your recipes, along with pictures, in the comments. We’ll pick our favorites and give the recipes a test-run. If they live up to their

facebook.com/okramagazine

twitter: @okramag

promise, we’ll hold them out as our favorites and perhaps even fea-

instagram: @okramag

email: contact@okramagazine.com

ture one of them in the print publication. www.okramagazine.com

12 okramagazine.com

ISSUE NO. 2

MAKING A DIFFERENCE

“

“

See what the need is out there in the world.

Start by addressing the need in your own community. It will spread.

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ISSUE NO. 2

Real Do-Gooders SOUTHERN GOODS THAT DO GOOD

Written by Julia L. Haynes / Photography courtesy of Thomas Gentry, Electric Peak Creative

Sometimes it takes leaving your home to discover how important it really is. For

Almost two years ago, the Evanses decided it was time to move back to the South.

Craig and Megan Evans, it meant several years of living and working between New

They chose Nashville. It was close enough to both of their homes and they really

York and Los Angeles to realize how much they longed to reconnect with their South-

liked it. No longer working out of their garage, they are trying to grow their business

ern roots. “Being out of the South crystalizes it for you.” Craig says. “Sometimes you

so they can become more involved in the philanthropic side. They believe strongly in

have to step outside to really see it and all the unique things about it.”

trying to raise awareness of what they are doing. While they occasionally meet some

“The South denotes a particular feeling, an emotion – traditions.” Megan explains,

of the kids they support, they don’t have nearly as much interaction as they would

and Southern roots run deep for both – Craig hails from Charlotte, NC and Megan

like, but hope that will change in the future. In the meantime they attend and help

from Charleston, SC. Living and working in LA for 14 years and married for almost

sponsor events for them. Recently they attended an event at a non-profit pet store

8, the Evanses knew they had to find a way to reconnect to that feeling. Combined

in Nashville that employs at-risk youth to work at the shop and in return are housed

with a shared love of home and the uncertainty of knowing when they would be

above the shop, helping to keep them out of trouble, while learning life skills.

able to return to the South, they decided

Many of their events are with Monroe Harding, a

to embark on a side venture that has taken

local Tennessee organization, caring for more than

on a life of its own. Started in the garage

16,000 children, whose goal is to provide foster

of their LA home, nearly three years ago,

children with a safe, loving environment while

Y’allsome was born.

their birth parents work to improve their ability to

“First off, we knew we wanted to be a

care for them, with the goal to reunite the family.

responsible company and give back in some

In Tennessee alone, there are over 6,000 children

way.” Craig says. Missing the South as they

in foster care. Although many foster children are

did, the Evans’ knew Y’allsome would have

removed from abusive and neglectful situations,

a two-fold purpose – to express their love of

they still have hope. They are just kids who laugh,

home as well as a way to give back to their

play, want to be loved, and spend time with their

homeland. For them that meant helping fos-

friends. But most of all, these kids dream of find-

ter kids in the South, something they were

ing a family to call their own.

both passionate about. Their work is a total

Craig and Megan primarily work with Heart Gal-

team effort; Craig is the graphic designer

lery of America – their chapters in the Southern

and Megan the business side, but both

states. HGA is a non-profit organization whose mission is to use the power of photography to cap-

collaborate on the designs, colors, graphics, etc. Describing their brand, Craig says “we are trying to be representative of a new

ture the individuality of children living in foster care, in order to help them find

wave in the South and what’s going on right now. We are looking to be authentic

adoptive homes, and raise public awareness about their needs, and obtain support to

- not preppy or redneck.” Most of their t-shirts are screen printed in Tennessee.

help meet those needs. They have had tremendous success. When people can see

While Craig was attending graduate school in Atlanta he did some pro bono work for a woman who helped educate families on adoption and foster kids in the US. It really struck a chord with him. He had never realized the extent of the problem.

and “meet” these kids they are more likely to be adopted. In it’s 15th year, the Heart Gallery ideal is being duplicated in communities across the US. “We hope to inspire other people (and businesses) to give back to their com-

Megan says she always thought she would adopt. For her it was more about the

munities – hoping for a mental shift for others.”

kids, not just the adoption – but the fact that these kids needed so much. “Having

t-shirts reads “THINK GLOBALLY - ACT SOUTHERNLY” This is how they

both grown up with the support of loving families, the idea of over 100,000 kids

think.

Craig and Megan explain, “See what the need is out there in the

right here in the South not having such a basic thing as a family was mind-blowing.”

world.

Start by addressing the need in your own community.

Craig explains.

But start with a manageable need.” When you shop with Y’allsome, you should feel

“When we started Y’allsome, we decided that a big part of our company would be about helping Southern foster kids. That’s why we donate 10% of our profits to help

Craig says. One of their

It will spread.

good about the product you’re buying, knowing your purchase goes to help others. It’s why Craig and Megan call Y’allsome goods ‘Southern Goods that Do Good.’

them find permanent homes.” Craig says. Today in the United States, there are over 425,000 children in foster care. Over 100,000 are in need of adoptive homes right

https://yallsome.com

now. And each year a huge number, in excess of 20,000, age out of foster care, at

https://www.heartgalleryofamerica.org

age 18, with nowhere to live and no support of any kind.

https://www.monroeharding.org

15

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CHAPTER 1

SOUTHERN COMFORTS

17

SOUTHERN COMFORTS

C O M P E L L E D

T O

P A I N T

THE ART OF A SOUTHERN IMPRESSIONIST Written by Ellen R. Howle / Photography by Gordon Lynch David Boyd knows no strangers in Newnan. Born and raised in this small Georgia

That is this artist’s path right now. In an attempt to be very structured with his

town, at a time when the suburbs of Atlanta were still “out in the country”, he

work, Boyd sets aside time to work and time to be online. He often puts his phone

could be the official city guide. His easy and affable smile begets a face that

on silent, so that he can concentrate on his brush strokes, or study the object he

loves where he is in life. As he walks down Jefferson Street, people call out to

is trying to paint.

him: “Hey, David!” He’s yelling back and waving as he walks. And, one friend even asks if he’d like a beer from across the street.

Studying art history and illustration at Savannah college of Art and Design, he graduated with a BFA in Illustration in 1995. But it wasn’t until 2006 that Boyd

With a gait that is more hurried New Yorker than relaxed Southerner, he makes

began taking his painting seriously. As an art teacher-turned artist, he was lucky.

his way up and down streets, pointing out businesses and telling of the people

“I taught school for 18 years, and was fortunate enough to be able to come home

who own them and the histories inside the doors. Boyd is somewhat of a celebrity

from teaching and paint for three to four hours a day. But now, I am even more

in Newnan, having come from an “artsy” family. The oldest of three, both of

structured and I work hard on refining my paintings.”

Boyd’s sisters are also in the arts field.

So structured in fact, he even uses

And, then there’s his father, David

the television to help keep him fo-

Boyd, Sr., who had a long career as an

cused. “There’s a formula to it all, be-

editorial cartoonist and who also has

lieve it or not. I like to watch the TV

art “hanging” all over Newnan, with

– it helps! I just find a movie I want

murals and business art gracing the

to watch – and that’s when I know I

sides of buildings and more. Boyd, Sr.

have two hours to create. I want to be

created the logo for the famed Spray-

very focused in that amount of time.”

berry’s Barbecue; a spot made even

There are days where Boyd paints all

more famous by the late barbecue lov-

day, but then there are those spent

ing Southern icon, Lewis Grizzard, the

simply packing and shipping the fruits

beloved and legendary columnist of

of his labor.

the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Boyd’s studio is set in the lower part

Boyd’s father was a hard worker,

of his house in Newnan. Paint splat-

having also owned a printing business.

ters the floor. A large computer monitor

He told his son that he wanted to be able to run his own life – to not be caught up

displaying an image of a pair of rusted out trucks sits on a table beside an easel

with having to do what others had needed to do to make it as an artist. He wanted

holding a canvas he has recently begun of the same trucks. Tubes of paint and

to ultimately be in charge of his own life. It was from this, that Boyd, Jr. learned

a multitude of brushes filling several containers share a shelf with a large paint

to appreciate hard work, and the rewards of working for himself.

“glob” that has been added to over a long period of time. Model cars and tractor

“Without a doubt, my father influenced my painting,” says Boyd. “He wanted

miniatures are scattered around the studio to be used for reference. Bookshelves

me to find my own path. He had the printing business, so he could avoid syndica-

surround the room, filled with inspirations and memories. His laptop sits atop

tion; he did his own thing.” Adding that his father loved what he did so much he

his desk filled with the many photographic references he and his wife Julie have

would often times spend all night working on his editorial cartoons.

accumulated on their travels around the South.

19

SOUTHERN COMFORTS

Memories of the times spent in Washington, Ga., with his grandparents are the greatest inspiration for his paintings. “I was fortunate to spend many weekends with my grandparents in rural Georgia, where the woods and old rusty cars and tractors were my playground. Today, when I see the rusting memorabilia of the rural South, I feel a deep sense of nostalgia. Even now I smell the paint and grease.” Remnants of this life are quickly vanishing. says Boyd. “As a nod to my childhood memories as well as the passing of time, I want to preserve Southern American life in its current state of decay... landscapes of rust.”

“I HAD NEVER THOUGHT ABOUT WHY I WAS PAINTING OLD CARS AND BARNS. BUT IT WAS THE INFLUENCE OF MY GRANDPARENTS, SO AS IT TURNS OUT, I AM PAINTING NOSTALGIA,” Along with teaching art, Boyd also taught golf at the high school level. “I liked golf because it got me away from people,” he explains. “So, when I started painting outdoors, it gave me everything I wanted.”

Boyd explains his great love of plein air painting. “When you stand outside looking at something for hours, it’s the only way you can really see it. I use my plein air work as a way to capture a feeling. I use my camera to record a moment. Back in my studio I like to combine these into large scale paintings of those things I wish I could keep forever... old signs, decaying building, old cars, trucks and tractors, and beautiful rural landscapes.”

En plein air, or simply plein air, is a French term meaning “open (in full) air,” and it’s used to describe the act of painting outdoors, which Boyd does at every chance he is given. Leaving the four walls of the studio behind is a freeing act.

The connection Boyd feels for these nostalgic scenes he paints is apparent by the different elements he obsesses over as he labors over them. He is particularly fond of the urban landscape, finding a place like an alley between buildings to stand and capture with paint and a brush. “I love and think about these small Southern towns and the crumbling infrastructure and I want to paint it all,” says Boyd. “I believe I’ve found myself recording a history no one pays attention to.”

“Walking through an old Southern town or place and being able to admire things like the remains of buildings that have been torn down or left to collapse are especially magical to me.” Boyd remarks. He likes being able to paint these things pretty. “I didn’t make it pretty; I just saw it that way.”

In 2016, Boyd, along with his friend Meredith Wilson, launched The Studio School at Three Hearts Farm where he teaches oil painting and drawing. He is also involved with Backstreet Arts in his community where he teaches oil painting and drawing to those who struggle with addiction or mental illness. Boyd is a Signature Member with the American Impressionists Society.

David Boyd’s Southern Impressionism paintings are available on his website at www.davidboydjr.com You will also find a comprehensive list of the galleries that represent him. Follow him on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest.

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ISSUE NO. 2