Late summer road trips are in full swing, and hunger has a way of striking at the most inconvenient moments — when the road feels longer than expected and your destination is still hours away. These chefs have their favorite stops covered, from major chains to regional gems hiding just off the highway.
Buc-ee’s candied nuts, Texas
If you find yourself driving through Texas, pastry chef and founder of Bakers Against Racism Paola Velez has one non-negotiable stop: Buc-ee’s.
Velez discovered the beloved roadside institution on a drive to Houston for the Southern Smoke Festival. “I had the opportunity to stop at my very first Buc-ee’s and gosh, I’ll tell you, it was an experience. It was better than an experience,” she says. “My mind was absolutely blown to see such a robust, bustling rest stop. Between you and me, I may or may not have run through the aisles like a kid in a candy shop.”
Her must-have are the candied nuts. “They are just so good — so, so good — so much so that when I went to Austin, I stopped at a Buc-ee’s even though it was admittedly out of the way.”
Gas station fried chicken at Dodge’s and Parker’s Kitchen, Charleston
Chef and food writer Amethyst Ganaway, who hails from Charleston, South Carolina, makes a strong case for the South’s finest gas station fried chicken. Her two picks: Dodge’s Southern Style and Parker’s Kitchen…