Southern Get-Togethers: A Guide to Hosting Unforgettable Gatherings–Plus Entertaining Inspiration, Tips, and 100+ Recipes

Author: Kelsey Barnard Clark

Southern Grit author, Top Chef winner, TV personality, and queen of Southern hospitality Kelsey Barnard Clark presents more than 100 irresistible recipes perfect for a crowd, plus all the expert wisdom and inspiration you need to host exceptional gatherings.

Call some friends, arrange some flowers, and whip up a quick bite. Let’s get the party started, y’all!

Chef Kelsey Barnard Clark catered her first wedding at age fifteen and has been hosting events ever since. In these pages, Kelsey distills her hard-earned party-planning wisdom into practical advice for newbie and experienced hosts alike: “I’ve made all the mistakes already, lived to tell the tale, and want to give you the benefit of my experience so you can stop worrying and start celebrating. This is a self-help book for throwing the damn party.”

With more than 100 crowd-pleasing recipes, this book has everything you need to do just that, demonstrating how easy it can be to host anything from a casual stop-by, low country boil, or BYO burger night to a bridal shower brunch, formal French dinner, or hunting season feast. No matter the event, Kelsey’s wide-ranging and accessible recipes make entertaining a joy, never a chore. Recipes include such gems as:

• NOLA Barbecue Shrimp
• Southern-Style Ramen
• KBC’s Smoked Brisket
• Zucchini Gratin
• White Sparkling Sangria
• Bananas Foster
• And many more Southern classics with a twist (and classics with a Southern twist) like Jambalaya, Hot Honey Chicken, Green Pickled Tomatoes, and Beignets

Helpful tips on tablescaping, flower arranging, menu planning, food buying, and more ensure you have the confidence and know-how to pull off a memorable celebration of any size. Brimming with beautiful food and lifestyle photography, Southern Get-Togethers is a must-have manual on Southern hospitality and a lively, delicious, all-around cookbook that’s calling for a space on your shelf.

TALENTED TOP CHEF: Kelsey has proven her unparalleled cooking chops time and again, from winning the title of Top Chef (and Fan Favorite!) to working in Michelin-starred kitchens in New York, running her own restaurant and catering company, and writing her first bestselling cookbook. A Food Network star and frequent media guest, Kelsey’s cooking skills are indisputable, and her food is downright delicious. This book, filled with dishes Kelsey loves to cook for her family and friends, further proves that she is the Southern Martha Stewart.

MENUS FOR EVERY OCCASION: Recipes are organized by occasion, and the book provides full menus for every event, including homemade and store-bought items. BYO Burger Night offers recipes for three burger sauces and an orzo side salad, suggested store-bought and five-minute sides, and instructions for setting up the best-ever burger and milkshake bars. Paella Night provides recipes for Paella, Pan con Tomate, Flan de Leche, and Spanish Red Sangria. Southern Get-Togethers shows that entertaining doesn’t have to be difficult or time-consuming. Everything you need to host an unforgettable evening is in these pages.

SOUTHERN HOSPITALITY EXPERTISE: This cookbook is packed with genuinely helpful advice for setting a table, planning a menu, ordering enough liquor for a party, arranging a flower centerpiece, being a gracious host and guest, cohosting with a friend, and more. Kelsey keeps it real with no-fuss entertaining tips that make it easy for anyone to host a get-together–whether a casual happy hour with girlfriends, a beachside BBQ for thirty people, or an intimate but impressive holiday feast.

RECIPE PHOTOS & MUCH MORE: Brimming with gorgeous photos of garden parties, cozy dinners, seaside boils, and Southern life, this is more than just a collection of recipes. You’ll want to flip through this book and take inspiration from the beautiful imagery as much as you’ll want to cook from it.

Perfect for:

• Home cooks who enjoy Southern food
• People who like to host casual gatherings, family parties, and other events
• Amateur hosts looking for tips, as well as experienced hosts looking for new and interesting recipes
• Followers of Kelsey on social media and TV and those who enjoyed her first cookbook
• Fans of Joanna Gaines, Ree Drummond, Reese Witherspoon’s Whiskey in a Teacup, or Vivian Howard’s Deep Run Roots

About the Author

Kelsey Barnard Clark is a Southern chef, TV personality, hostess extraordinaire, and the author of Southern Grit. She’s trained in some of the best Michelin kitchens and continues to hone her craft, competing against the best chefs in the world on Food Network and beyond. Kelsey was the winner and Fan Favorite of Top Chef‘s season 16. She runs a catering business and eatery, KBC, in Alabama, where she lives with her husband and two children.