The Spring 2023 issue of Gravy kicks off SFA’s exploration of the year’s theme, asking: Where is the South? How do we identify its edges? Can we mark its coordinates with bourbon, catfish, and birria? And can we map our present South onto the culinary and labor landscapes that preceded it?

In these Gravy pages, Mikeie Honda Reiland examines the closure of Arnold’s in Nashville through the lens of father-son relationships. Meredith McCarroll takes readers to a Thai restaurant in the tiny town of Sylva, North Carolina. Columnist Gustavo Arellano considers depictions of tacos in popular music. Hanna Raskin ponders the question of booze in barbecue, and how alcohol contributes to a barbecue restaurant's bottom line. Poet Joshua Nguyen shares original verse.

In an excerpt from his upcoming All of Us Together in the End, Matthew Vollmer writes of transformation after loss, and Southern Sunday suppers made of lentils and cheese danishes. Shay Youngblood tells of cooking for herself in the early months of the pandemic while observing homelessness and food insecurity in Atlanta. Chefs Alex Perry and Kumi Omori share their favorite places in Ocean Springs, Mississippi, where they own and operate Vestige restaurant. Finally, contemporary photographers and artists respond to the question “Where is the South?” in a visual essay of photography and illustrations. Follow along as we wander, map, and engage in a lively debate about this region SFA calls home.