Kellie Walton

Charleston, Nashville

Founder and Editor-in-Chief at Modern South Magazine

Travel and Food Writer at Freelance

freelance travel & food writer 📝✈️

Featured in: Favicon

msn.com

usnews.com Favicon

cosmopolitan.com Favicon

flipboard.com Favicon

womenshealthmag.com Favicon

delish.com Favicon

eater.com

opentable.com Favicon

countryliving.com Favicon

matadornetwork.com + 55 more

Articles

Meet the Makers Behind Franklin, Tennessee’s Must-Visit Restaurants

1 week ago | modernsouth.co | Kellie Walton

As a tenured food writer, the biggest lesson I’ve learned in my career is that taste and favorites are subjective: my must-order dish at a restaurant could be average to a friend, and ingredients like goat cheese and olives may be beloved to many but repulsive to me.
Top LGBTQ+ Events in the South 2025

1 week ago | modernsouth.co | Kellie Walton

Featured image: Visit Athens GAPride Month is celebrated every June to honor the 1969 Stonewall Riots—an uprising in response to police raids at the Stonewall Inn in New York City that catalyzed the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement. What began as an act of resistance has grown into a nationwide celebration of love, identity, visibility, and progress.
A Taste of Tradition and Memory

2 weeks ago | modernsouth.co | Kellie Walton

There’s something deeply comforting about a handwritten recipe card, especially when it’s been folded, splattered, and lovingly used for decades. Over time, dishes evolve from just meals to cherished memories, and those worn recipe pages become a true treasure. At Blakeford Senior Life, a premier senior living community with multiple campuses in Nashville for over 30 years, residents are dishing on their cherished family recipes that connect generations through the language of food.
The Insider: Why Germantown’s Rolf and Daughters remains a Nashville essential

3 weeks ago | opentable.com | Kellie Walton

Well before Germantown became a bonafide restaurant hotspot, the legendary Rolf and Daughters in Nashville was among the places setting the groundwork for all the stellar restaurants that would follow. “I remember when we first opened, the landscape of the dining culture was so different than it is now,” the restaurant’s director of operations Shane O’Brien says. “You picked your pasta and then your sauce and protein, but it took some time to get people to trust us and what we do.
Culinary Influences from Moms

4 weeks ago | modernsouth.co | Kellie Walton

In honor of Mother’s Day, we asked some of Nashville’s most beloved chefs and restaurateurs to reflect on the women who shaped their culinary journey. Whether it was a grandmother’s ritual of slow-simmered mole, a mother’s insistence on cleanliness, or a family tradition of stirring the perfect roux, their stories speak to the power of matriarchal influence in the kitchen.
A Culinary Gem in Florence AL

1 month ago | modernsouth.co | Kellie Walton

Featured image: Dan Busey/TimesDailyFlorence, Alabama, a quaint college town in the northwest corner of the state, is exactly 1,951.6 miles from Hollywood. Known for its Blues music heritage and small-town charm, the eclectic city could not be further from the lights and cameras of La La Land. But, in a small bistro tucked away in the city’s historic downtown lies an unexpected piece of tinseltown.
Elote-Inspired Recipe

1 month ago | modernsouth.co | Kellie Walton

Featured image: Ivan LaraYes, corn in a cocktail—and yes, it works. Inspired by street elote, this margarita-meets-old fashioned mashup is rich with corn milk, layered with aged rum and rye, and finished with dried pineapple. At Adiõs, José Medina Camacho proves once again that boundary-pushing ingredients can still feel like comfort in a glass. Here’s how to make it at home.
You Don’t Need a Lottery Ticket to See the South’s Magical Synchronous Fireflies

1 month ago | modernsouth.co | Kellie Walton

Featured image: Louisa Simmons / Explore RidgelandImagine standing in the stillness of a mountain forest just after dusk—the air thick with the scent of pine. Save for the wind blowing through the leaves, it’s quiet and still, with plenty of hopeful anticipation in the air. Then, the darkness begins to flicker—first one tiny flash, then another, and suddenly the whole forest pulses with twinkling golden lights.
Why You Should Care Where Your Bourbon Comes From (Hint: It’s the Dirt)

1 month ago | modernsouth.co | Kellie Walton

We all know the South can grow just about anything—peaches, peanuts, pecans, and more—but bourbon? Turns out, it’s not just a Kentucky claim to fame. In Statesville, North Carolina, Southern Distilling Company is changing the spirits game: they aren’t just making great bourbon, they’re doing it with purpose. And that purpose starts in the dirt. Pete Barger, co-founder of Southern Distilling Company alongside his wife Vienna, has agriculture in his DNA.
Refreshing Recipe

1 month ago | modernsouth.co | Kellie Walton

Featured image: Ivan LaraThis one’s a classic for a reason. The Cantarito hails from Jalisco, Mexico—tequila country—and has long been a go-to for sunny afternoons and street-side celebrations. At Adiõs, José Medina Camacho keeps it traditional with tequila, citrus, and a splash of Squirt soda, making this fizzy favorite as easy-drinking as it is refreshing. Here’s how to make it at home.