Bring Your Appetite for Georgia’s Best Bites

Mark your calendars and loosen your belts—the Georgia Food + Wine Festival is rolling back into town March 21-23 at Jim R. Miller Park in Marietta. Three days of award-winning chefs, top-tier wineries, and Southern flavors so rich they could make your grandma weep. VIP events, live music, bourbon tastings, and a Sunday brunch that might just get you to church early to repent? This festival is a love letter to Georgia’s deep-rooted food scene.

More Than Just Peaches: Georgia’s Signature Flavors

Sure, everyone knows about Georgia peaches, but the state’s real food legacy runs much deeper. These are the dishes that tell our stories, the ones that feel like home from the first bite.

Brunswick Stew: A Battle for Bragging Rights

Brunswick, Georgia, and Brunswick, Virginia, have been locked in a friendly feud over this stew for generations. But Georgia claims victory—just ask the 25-gallon iron pot standing proud at Mary Ross Waterfront Park.

This hearty mix of chicken, pork, or (if you’re feeling traditional) squirrel, slow-simmered with tomatoes and corn, is a bowl full of comfort. No matter where you stand in the debate, one spoonful settles any argument.

Savannah Shrimp: A Bite of the Atlantic

If the Atlantic Ocean had a greatest hits album, Georgia shrimp would be track one. Fresh off the boat, butter-basted, or dunked in a Lowcountry boil, these briny beauties belong on every plate.

A squeeze of lemon, a dusting of Old Bay, maybe a slice of crusty bread to mop up the goodness. Simple, classic, unforgettable.

Snack Time, Southern Style

Sometimes, the best bites don’t come on a fancy plate. They come wrapped in paper sacks or from roadside stands, ready to be devoured on the go.

Boiled Peanuts: Messy, Salty, and Unapologetically Southern

They call them “mush nuts” when they’ve soaked up enough brine to melt in your mouth. Whether you like ‘em soft or with a little bite, if you haven’t burned your fingers fishing them out of a steaming bag, you’re missing out on Georgia gold.

And speaking of gold, February 9 is game day, and nothing pairs better with football than a handful of salty peanuts and an ice-cold Coca-Cola. That was a Georgia thing before it was an anywhere-else thing.

Apple Butter & Fried Apple Pies: A Taste of North Georgia

North Georgia orchards do apples right. Tart, crisp, and just waiting to be transformed into something special.

• Slather apple butter onto a warm biscuit for a sweet, spiced treat.
• Sink your teeth into a fried apple pie, crisp on the outside, gooey in the middle.
• Best enjoyed while watching the leaves turn in the fall, but honestly? Good any time of year.

Atlanta’s Pride: The Lemon Pepper Wing

Zesty. Buttery. Soaked in lemon-pepper goodness. Atlanta’s signature wings deserve their own state holiday.

You can get them dry, sure. But the real ones? The ones that matter? They come wet. Sticky, tangy, and finger-licking levels of good. You’ve never truly lived until you’ve had a plate from a hole-in-the-wall spot at 2 a.m.

The Heart of Georgia Cooking: Meat and Three

Once, you could find these gems on every street corner—small diners, family-run joints, places where the menu was written in chalk and the sweet tea flowed freely. Some are still hanging on, serving up the kind of meal that feels like a hug.

Here’s the deal:

Add cornbread or a biscuit on the side, and you’re set. These places may be harder to find these days, but when you do, you hold on to them tight—like the last piece of pie at the family reunion.