For 10 days in September, Birmingham, Alabama, made room at the table for far more than dinner. The fourth Southbound Food Festival ran from September 18 through 27, bringing together more than 100 chefs across dinners, market events, restaurant collaborations, and a live-fire tasting. It began with a meal devoted to chicken and the egg and ended with a brunch inspired by Alabama’s juke-joint traditions. Rather than gathering everyone in one venue, Southbound spread the celebration across the city and its surrounding food community.
The scale gave the festival its headline, but the variety gave it a story. A seated dinner at Pepper Place, a women-in-food market takeover, one-night-only restaurant menus and events at Sloss Furnaces offered different ways to experience Southern cooking. Some put chefs in the spotlight; others highlighted farmers, makers, and the traditions behind what appeared on the plate. By the time Funk Brunch closed the festival on September 27, Birmingham had spent 10 days treating food as a reason to get together.
From Chicken and Eggs to Women in Food
Southbound opened September 18 with its Heritage Dinner, “Chicken & the Egg,” on Pepper Place. The multicourse meal asked local and regional chefs to interpret two ingredients with deep roots in Southern cooking. The dinner also honored Atlanta chef Anne Quatrano as the 2026 recipient of the Frank Stitt Award for Industry Excellence. Southbound selected Quatrano for her leadership in Southern cuisine and her longstanding commitment to seasonality, sustainability, and community.
The award added a broader point to an evening centered on ingredients: a memorable meal depends on more than the person cooking it. Southbound describes the Frank Stitt Award as recognition for people who positively influence both their communities and the culinary industry. Its description of the award points to the farmers, producers, servers, sellers, and makers who help food reach the table. Honoring Quatrano at the opening dinner placed that larger food system alongside the celebration of chefs…