In the past decade, Austin, Texas, has become the unlikely vodka capital of the South. First came Tito’s Handmade Vodka, the first spirit legally distilled in Texas. It took off in the early 2000s and is a fixture in bars across the country today. Next came small-batch successors like Dripping Springs Vodka, made in the nearby town of Dripping Springs, and SAVVY Vodka, a Texas-only brand distilled with spring water from founder Chad Auler’s family ranch.

These are busy times for Edward Lee, longtime head chef at Louisville’s 610 Magnolia. Three months ago, he opened MilkWood, an Asian-inflected bar and restaurant, to big crowds and rave reviews. Three days ago, he and his wife welcomed a new baby girl. Next Monday, after the Derby, Lee will be headed to New York City to attend the James Beard Awards as one of the finalists in the Best Chef: Southeast category. 

Today, on what would be Thomas Jefferson’s 270th birthday, you are sure to see our third president remembered as the voracious intellectual who drafted the Declaration of Independence and founded the University of Virginia. In the world of Southern food, however, Jefferson boasts another, lesser-known accomplishment: He played a major role in bringing macaroni and cheese to the American dinner table.

Ever drop a handful of roasted peanuts into an ice-cold Coca-Cola? The sweet and salty pairing, rare above the Mason-Dixon line and vanishing below, conjures vivid memories from Southerners of a certain age