Southern Living 2021 Cooks of the Year

Each year, we set out to celebrate cooks who are using food as a way to make the South a better, more delicious place. And every time, we are overwhelmed by the number of people who are accomplishing that and then some. Our 2021 Cooks of the Year come from different places and backgrounds, but all share an exceptional amount of passion for what they do. The group includes a plant-based pitmaster in Georgia who is redefining barbecue, a bighearted bakery owner in Maryland who feeds her community in more ways than one, and a Kentucky teacher who built a high school culinary program from scratch. Over the past year, as the world changed and businesses shuttered and transformed, these five people faced the uncertainty with optimism, bravery, and grace—and the South is all the better for it.

Meet our 2021 Cooks of the Year