Few places can claim both leafy mountain peaks and powdery beach shores as their own, but Alabama proudly does. These elevations create not only a beautiful landscape but also a unique dining culture. Gulf Coast shrimp from the bayou appears on menus as often as artisan goat cheese from the north. The state is home to Big Bob Gibson’s Alabama white sauce, a mayonnaise-based smoked meat topping; Wintzel’s Oyster House’s West Indies salad, a tangy vinegar and crab concoction; and Flora-Bama’s bushwacker, a boozy milkshake that will keep you coming back for more. Of course, it’s not the food itself so much as it is the people behind it that make plated dinners so delectable. With Unique Eats and Eateries of Alabama, learn about Kelsey Barnard Clark, the Top Chef winner who is leading a restaurant revolution in her small town one bite at a time. Meet Gus Katechis, the third-generation proprietor of Chris’ Hotdogs, an establishment known for serving everyone from F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dream about Panini Pete’s grouper sandwich made famous by Rick Bragg and Guy Fieri. Discover the nuns who create, package, and sell sinful chocolate morsels. These are just a handful of the people who make the state’s cuisine so special. Author Nicole Letts invites readers to join her on a culinary cruise through Alabama the beautiful. From north to south and east to west, these are the eateries, confectionaries, greasy spoons, saloons, and plain old joints that make the state a food-centric destination you need to visit. Nicole Letts is a freelance journalist whose work has been published by some of the country’s top magazines and digital publications including AAA Explorer Alabama, BBC Travel, Fodor’s Travel, Garden, & Gun, Good Grit, Southern Living, and many more. Nicole is an Alabamian by birth and a graduate of Spring Hill College in Mobile. When she’s not writing, you can find her stitching cheeky needlepoint canvases or perusing local antique shops for her online business, Grandmillennial Shop.