Georgia-born French-trained chef Virginia Willis has made cookies with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, foraged for berries in the Alaskan wilderness, harvested capers in Sicily, and beguiled celebrities such as Jane Fonda, Bill Clinton, and Morgan Freeman with her cooking — but it all started in her grandmother's country kitchen. She is the author of Secrets of the Southern Table: A Food Lover’s Tour of the Global South; Lighten Up, Y'all; Bon Appétit, Y'all; Basic to Brilliant, Y'all; Okra; and Grits. Lighten Up, Y'all received a James Beard Foundation Award. She was the TV kitchen director for Martha Stewart, Bobby Flay, and Nathalie Dupree and has traveled the world producing food stories — from making cheese in Sonoma to escargot farming in France.
