A Real Southern Cook: In Her Savannah Kitchen

"A beautiful read, a vital illustration of Southern foodways, and an important addition to the canon of great American cookbooks."—Matt Lee and Ted Lee, authors of The Lee Bros. Charleston Kitchen

Hundreds of thousands of people have made a trip to dine on the exceptional food cooked by Dora Charles at Savannah's most famous restaurant. Now, the woman who was barraged by editors and agents to tell her story invites us into her home to taste the food she loves best.

These are the intensely satisfying dishes at the heart of Dora's beloved Savannah: Shrimp and Rice; Simple Smoky Okra; Buttermilk Cornbread from her grandmother; and of course, a truly incomparable Fried Chicken. Each dish has a "secret ingredient" for a burst of flavor: mayonnaise in the biscuits; Savannah Seasoning in her Gone to Glory Potato Salad; sugar-glazed bacon in her deviled eggs. All the cornerstones of the Southern table are here, from Out-of-This-World Smothered Catfish to desserts like a jaw-dropping Very Red Velvet Cake.

With moving dignity, Dora describes her motherless upbringing in Savannah, the hard life of her family, whose memories stretched back to slave times, learning to cook at age six, and the years she worked at the restaurant. "Talking About" boxes impart Dora's cooking wisdom, and evocative photos of Savannah and the Low Country set the scene.

"Dora Charles's take on classic Southern recipes is approachable and creative, and her moment in the spotlight is long overdue."—Eater

"Even just reading the names of recipes in Savannah chef Dora Charles' debut cookbook is making us wild with hunger—Buttermilk cornbread? Fried chicken? Very red velvet cake? We're not sure we can wait . . ."—People