{"id":77427,"date":"2017-06-29T18:51:20","date_gmt":"2017-06-29T22:51:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wanderlust.com\/?p=77427\/"},"modified":"2017-12-01T13:50:37","modified_gmt":"2017-12-01T18:50:37","slug":"southern-hospitality-comes-socal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wanderlust.com\/it\/journal\/southern-hospitality-comes-socal\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Southern Hospitality Belongs in Southern California"},"content":{"rendered":"

Want to experience a\u00a0family vibe while savoring SoCal cuisine? Join us for\u00a0Chef Kevin Callaghan’s exclusive dinner on July 27 at Wanderlust Hollywood as part of the Find Your True Fork dinner series. Click here<\/a>\u00a0 for tickets and information.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

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When most people think of Southern hospitality, one of the first images that springs to mind is a large gathering centered around a home-cooked meal. It\u2019s not a particular anomaly, since social exchanges are largely food-centric across a great many cultures, but there\u2019s no denying that food is a very big deal in the South. Classic dishes like fried chicken, potato salad, pecan pie, and casseroles galore grace the tables of many a Southern home and eatery, and have for generations. Likewise, pleasantries like \u201cplease and thank you\u201d have never gone out of style, and much like the lower states\u2019 summer temperatures, a certain level of warmth permeates the idea of what it means to be Southern. <\/span><\/p>\n

In Southern California, that same warmth exists both literally and figuratively\u2014just in a slightly different form. Inventive dishes infuse fresh ingredients into cross-cultural couplings, from Eastern grain bowls topped with avocado to smoothies blended with nourishing\u00a0ingredients<\/a> from all points of the globe. The creative, independent SoCal ethos may shun convention and associate itself more with sand and sea than sweet iced tea, but as it turns out, there\u2019s a common thread between the two approaches: Both are focused on pleasure, and on people taking care of one another. <\/span><\/p>\n

Blending a bit of Southern hospitality into Southern Californian cuisine isn\u2019t that odd a concept, nor is any culinary coupling that pairs ingredients from different places to bring out the best in one another and bring pleasure to those who gather for the feast.<\/span><\/p>\n

Gathering is Good for the Soul<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n

Particularly in a time when finding a comfortable balance between the strains of work, the chaos of other concerns and attention paid to our own interior lives requires patience, we need one another more than ever. Communal dining has long been a way for people to connect in a relaxed environment, enjoying the sights, scents, and flavors of a meal together as we open up to one another, letting ideas rise and fall across the table. As a result, we can lower our stress levels and find support, commonality, and community while we nourish ourselves together. <\/span><\/p>\n

That concept\u2014the importance of gathering for good conversation and good health\u2014is a key point of focus for chef Kevin Callaghan, who\u2019s putting a Southern spin on SoCal dining this summer when he hosts a Find Your True Fork dinner in Los Angeles<\/span><\/a>. As part of a larger series introducing the work of six chefs with six different food philosophies, the founder of Acme Food & Beverage Co. in Carrboro, NC, who also serves as Wanderlust Festivals\u2019 Executive Chef, will blend sustainability and Southern hospitality in a flavorful event designed to foster conversation and connection. <\/span><\/p>\n

The key component of the evening, he says, is simply the fact that people are coming together. <\/span>In advance of the event, he told an interviewer<\/span><\/a>, \u201cThe important part of the meal is the person across from you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n