John T. Edge (born December 22, 1962)
is a writer, commentator, and, since its founding in 1999, director of the
Southern Foodways Alliance Southern Foodways Alliance (SFA) is an institute of the Center for the Study of Southern Culture at the University of Mississippi, dedicated to the documentation, study and exploration of the foodways of the American South. Member-funded, it stage ...
, an institute of the
Center for the Study of Southern Culture
The Center for the Study of Southern Culture (CSSC), located in Barnard Observatory on the University of Mississippi campus in Oxford, Mississippi, is an academic organization dedicated to the investigation, documentation, interpretation and teac ...
at the
University of Mississippi
The University of Mississippi ( byname Ole Miss) is a public research university that is located adjacent to Oxford, Mississippi, and has a medical center in Jackson. It is Mississippi's oldest public university and its largest by enrollment ...
. He has written several books on Southern food. He contributes to the ''
Oxford American
The ''Oxford American'' is a quarterly magazine that focuses on the American South.
First publication
The magazine was begun in late 1989 in Oxford, Mississippi, by Marc Smirnoff (born July 11, 1963).
The name "Oxford American" is a play on ''T ...
'' and the ''
New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'', and has written for ''
Garden & Gun
''Garden & Gun'' is a national magazine focusing on the American South. The magazine reports on the South's culture, food, music, art, literature, and its people and their ideas. It was created in 2007, published by the Evening Post Publishing Co ...
'' and ''
Afar''.
In 2017, he published ''The Potlikker Papers'', a personal history of Southern food.
Education
John T. received his undergraduate degree from the
University of Georgia
, mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things."
, establ ...
. Edge holds a
master's degree
A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice. in Southern Studies from the University of Mississippi and an
MFA in Creative Non-Fiction from
Goucher College
Goucher College ( ') is a private liberal arts college in Towson, Maryland. It was chartered in 1885 by a conference in Baltimore led by namesake John F. Goucher and local leaders of the Methodist Episcopal Church.https://archive.org/details/h ...
.
Southern Foodways Alliance
In 1999, Edge co-founded and became the director of the
Southern Foodways Alliance Southern Foodways Alliance (SFA) is an institute of the Center for the Study of Southern Culture at the University of Mississippi, dedicated to the documentation, study and exploration of the foodways of the American South. Member-funded, it stage ...
, an institute of the
Center for the Study of Southern Culture
The Center for the Study of Southern Culture (CSSC), located in Barnard Observatory on the University of Mississippi campus in Oxford, Mississippi, is an academic organization dedicated to the investigation, documentation, interpretation and teac ...
at the
University of Mississippi
The University of Mississippi ( byname Ole Miss) is a public research university that is located adjacent to Oxford, Mississippi, and has a medical center in Jackson. It is Mississippi's oldest public university and its largest by enrollment ...
.
Every October, the Southern Foodways Alliance sponsors a symposium in
Oxford, Mississippi
Oxford is a city and college town in the U.S. state of Mississippi. Oxford lies 75 miles (121 km) south-southeast of Memphis, Tennessee, and is the county seat of Lafayette County. Founded in 1837, it was named after the British city of Ox ...
, on American
southern cuisine
The cuisine of the Southern United States encompasses diverse food traditions of several regions, including Tidewater, Appalachian, Lowcountry, Cajun, Creole, and Floribbean cuisine. In recent history, elements of Southern cuisine have spread t ...
. Edge is one of the primary organizers and the master of ceremonies for the many events, which attract several hundred attendees. The SFA also engages in oral history work, makes films, and stages other events.
Media
Edge has authored numerous books detailing how America eats, including, ''Fried Chicken: An American Story'', ''Apple Pie: An American Story'', ''Southern Belly'', and ''The Truck Food Cookbook''. Edge has been a regular contributor for the weekend edition of
NPR
National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...
's ''
All Things Considered
''All Things Considered'' (''ATC'') is the flagship news program on the American network National Public Radio (NPR). It was the first news program on NPR, premiering on May 3, 1971. It is broadcast live on NPR affiliated stations in the United ...
'' and has appeared on various television shows including ''
CBS Sunday Morning
''CBS News Sunday Morning'' (normally shortened to ''Sunday Morning'' on the program itself since 2009) is an American news magazine television program that has aired on CBS since January 28, 1979. Created by Robert Northshield and original hos ...
'' and ''
Iron Chef
is a Japanese television cooking show produced by Fuji Television. The series, which premiered on October 10, 1993, was a stylized cook-off featuring guest chefs challenging one of the show's resident "Iron Chefs" in a timed cooking battle bui ...
''.
In 2012, he won the MFK Fisher Distinguished Writing Award from the
James Beard Foundation
The James Beard Foundation is a New York City-based national non-profit culinary arts organization named in honor of James Beard, a prolific food writer, teacher, and cookbook author, who was also known as the "Dean of American Cookery." The prog ...
.
His work has also been featured in 10 editions of the ''Best Food Writing Anthology.''
Hosts the SEC Network / ESPN television show TrueSouth.
Host of the SFA podcast "Gravy," along with Melissa Hall.
Personal life
Edge was born in the rural community of Clinton, in Jones County, Georgia
Jones County is a County (United States), county in the Central Georgia, central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 28,347. The county seat is Gray, Ge ...
. He lives in Oxford, Mississippi
Oxford is a city and college town in the U.S. state of Mississippi. Oxford lies 75 miles (121 km) south-southeast of Memphis, Tennessee, and is the county seat of Lafayette County. Founded in 1837, it was named after the British city of Ox ...
, with his wife, Blair Hobbs, a painter, writer, and teacher. They have one son, Jess.
Publications
* Edge, John T. ''The Potlikker Papers: A Food History of the Modern South''. Penguin Press, 2017.
* Edge, John T. ''The Truck Food Cookbook: 150 Recipes and Ramblings from America's Best Restaurants on Wheels''. Workman, 2012.
* Edge, John T. and Roahen, Sara, editors. ''The Southern Foodways Alliance Community Cookbook''. UGA Press, 2010.
* Edge, John T. ''Southern Belly: The Ultimate Food Lovers Companion to the American South''. 2012. .
* Edge, John T. ''Donuts: An American Passion''. Putnam Adult, 2006. .
* Edge, John T. ''Hamburgers and Fries: An American Story''. Thorndike Press, 2005. .
* Edge, John T. ''Fried Chicken: An American Story''. Putnam Adult, 2004. .
* Edge, John T. ''Apple Pie: An American Story''. Putnam Adult, 2004. .
* Edge, John T. and Hobbs, Blair. ''Southern Belly: The Ultimate Food Lover's Guide to the South.'' Hill Street Press, 2002. .
* Edge, John T. ''A Gracious Plenty''. HP Trade, 2002.
See also
* Austin Leslie
Austin Leslie (July 2, 1934 – September 29, 2005) was an internationally famous New Orleans, Louisiana, chef whose work defined ' Creole Soul'. He died in Atlanta, Georgia, at the age of 71 after having been evacuated from New Orleans; he ...
References
External links
''Financial Times '' Top Twenty Southerners to Watch
{{DEFAULTSORT:Edge, John T.
Living people
American food writers
People from Oxford, Mississippi
University of Mississippi faculty
1962 births