The Gourmet Highway: A Memorable Feast

A SOUTHERN FEAST: The Gourmet Highway

The air in New Orleans hangs thick and sweet, a perfume of sugar, chicory, bourbon and the distant, briny scent of the Gulf. It was in the sun-drenched French Quarter, amid the wrought-iron balconies and the murmur of jazz, that the journey began. A young chef, fueled by the legend of the Gourmet Highway, stood before a steaming pot of gumbo, a map unfurling in his mind. A magnificent painting by Olivia Thomason, a vibrant tapestry of Southern roads and iconic culinary landmarks, guided a tasting journey, a confirmation that every ingredient, every menu, every prepared item and every dining room tells a story and every town holds culinary originals.

The first stop is Memphis, where the rhythm of the blues mingles with the smoky aroma of great barbecue and the art of slow-cooking from a pitmaster whose hands are gnarled as the oak used for smoking. Then on to Nashville, a city of rhinestone cowboys and fiery hot chicken. In Birmingham, esteemed Chef Frank Stitt rules. Mobile brings the bounty of the bay, fresh shrimp and oysters, a taste of the sea; a beginning and an end.

The Gourmet Highway leads to Louisville, where the bourbon is as smooth as a Kentucky drawl; the Derby still rules, a blur of mint juleps and elegant hats. Charleston is a feast for the eyes and the palate, with its pastel houses and low-country cooking. Atlanta is an international city where new flavors merge into old traditions, where a diner can taste the future of Southern cooking while honoring its past.

A detour to Tampa offers the unexpected zest of a Cuban sandwich, a testament to the diverse influences that season the South.

Finally, the highway narrows, the air salty and humid, and the turquoise waters of the Atlantic is in view. Destination: Key West. The journey culminates at Ernest Hemingway's home, a whitewashed house filled with the ghosts of stories untold. A grand feast is prepared, a celebration of every flavor, every lesson, and every legend encountered along the way. The gumbo from New Orleans, the barbecue from Memphis, the hot chicken from Nashville, She-Crab soup from Savannah: a culinary and cultural mosaic of a journey. As he raised a glass of fine French wine from Papa’s acclaimed wine cellar, he knew that the Gourmet Highway was more than just a road and a painting. It’s a state of mind, a perpetual feast for the senses, and a testament to the enduring, delicious soul of the South.

Papa saluted the guests including Ray Charles, Tennessee Williams, Ignatius J. Reilly, Ava Gardner, Elvis, Dolly Parton, Bill Clinton, Johnny Mercer, Scott and Zelda, Willie Nelson, Gatsby, Scarlett O’Hara, Bear Bryant, Hank Williams, Bobby Bowden, Jack Daniel, Tallulah Bankhead, and so many more.