Charleston, SC (July 14, 2025) — For the second year, The Local Palate, a magazine that covers the food culture of the South, is seeking out The Best Culinary Town in the South, to be announced in the latest edition, on stands December 16, 2025.
The public is encouraged to visit www.thelocalpalate.com to access a Readers’ Poll, open July 21 to July 25, and vote from a list of the Top Ten Culinary Towns in the South; the selection will be narrowed to the Top Three towns, which will go head-to-head in a second poll open from July 28 to July 31 to determine the winner. The winner will be revealed on the cover of “The Best Culinary Towns of the South” issue out in December.
The Top Ten towns competing for this year!s title include: Bardstown, Kentucky; Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Durham, North Carolina; Fredericksburg, Texas; Jackson, Mississippi; Knoxville, Tennessee; Savannah, Georgia; Spartanburg, South Carolina; Tuscaloosa, Alabama; and West Palm Beach, Florida.
To determine the Top Ten, the editors of The Local Palate researched more than 40 small towns across the South—from Washington, DC down to Florida and over to Texas with populations under 450K—looking at everything from the towns’ restaurant, bar, and café scenes to farmers’ markets, educational classes, coffee shops, kitchen and home goods retailers, wine shops, food trucks, festivals, and more.
Following the success of the inaugural Best Culinary Towns poll in 2024, which garnered more than 10,000 votes, The Local Palate!s second annual Readers’ Poll will be widely circulated online and via social media and newsletters. The issue itself will include as many as 20 Southern Culinary Towns, offering an essential guide to eating and drinking across the region.
"For our second year, we tasked our team of writers and editors to identify a new crop of smalltown destinations. The results will make for a delicious insider!s look at the South!s culinary-rich corners. This issue offers another opportunity to celebrate and highlight the towns that have become shining stars in the food space,” said Erin Byers Murray, Editor in Chief of The Local Media Contact Joe Spector, CEO & Publisher joe@thelocalpalate.com Palate. "Last year!s Readers’ Poll became a fierce competition, resulting in the winning town, Lafayette, Louisiana, landing on our cover. We can!t wait to see which town comes out on top this year.”
The Best Culinary Town in the South Reader!s Poll will be live starting July 21 at www.thelocalpalate.com. Sign up for the magazine’s Savor the South newsletter and follow along on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok for details. For more information, contact Erin Byers Murray, Editor in Chief: erin@thelocalpalate.com.
ABOUT THE LOCAL PALATE
The Local Palate is a print magazine that covers the food culture of the South, telling the stories behind the people, places, and foodways that make up this diverse and dynamic culinary region. Through its quarterly magazine, special interest publications, website, newsletters, events, videos, The Local Palate Marketplace, and other channels, The Local Palate explores Southern recipes, traditions, artisanal products, makers, chefs, getaways, and communities, using food as a lens to better understand this rich, storied region. Learn more about The Local Palate online, through The Local Palate Marketplace, via newsletter, or on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok.
