East Ridge cookbook author and winner of the Emeril Barbecue Contest, follows’ up his successful Tennessee Hometown Cookbook and other titles with a new book featuring the best flavors from the Peach State.

According to the publisher, Georgia’s home cooks are some of the best in the country and now everyone can enjoy that special flavor in the new Georgia Hometown Cookbook by Kent Whitaker and series co-author, Sheila Simmons.

The book is published by Great American Publishers and is available for local bookstores and gift shops to carry.

The 256-page cookbook contains more than 300 of Georgia’s favorite recipes submitted by hometown cooks throughout the state. In addition to testing and selecting recipes that represent Georgia’s signature style of cooking, the editors chose recipes that are easy to prepare.

Ms. Simmons said, “We pay particular attention to the way the recipes are presented to ensure the ingredients are presented in order of use with instructions that are clear and concise. We focus on good old-fashioned home cooking and bring you recipes that can almost always be made right from your pantry.”

“Don't expect a lot of difficult, gourmet recipes that require a special trip to the grocery store,” added Mr. Whitaker. “Because these are just down-home recipes like your Momma and her Momma made.”

He said this is truly a Georgia cookbook with recipes using The Peach State’s favorite ingredients—Georgia’s Favorite Brunswick Stew, Easy Peach Crisp, Georgia Goober Butter Cookies, Augusta Oven-Fried Pecan Chicken, Vidalia Onion Farm Fresh Salsa, Pecan Meringue Peach Pie, and many more.

Beyond the traditional favorites, a new generation of hometown cooks will enjoy new favorites like Ashton’s Double Secret UGA Chocolate Cake, In the Bag Fudge, Hot Georgia Catfish Bites, Grilled Chicken & Georgia Apple Salad, Chicken Taco Stew, and Georgia Coast Spicy Shrimp Sandwich Spread.

There are a number of sidebars to be found throughout the book. There is a generous helping of stories about food-related festivals across the state. From the Georgia Apple Festival in Ellijay to the Jekyll Island Shrimp & Grits Festival, from Taste of Atlanta to Colquitt’s National Mayhaw Festival, there's a celebration to suit every taste.

Officials said, "Georgia Hometown Cookbook is great for the armchair traveler as well as the perfect addition for any home cook’s library. It is a collection of tried and true recipes that will be enjoyed by Georgia natives, visitors or anyone who enjoys a good cookbook. With so many recipes for dishes that families have enjoyed over and over again, Georgia Hometown Cookbook, the second book in the State Hometown Cookbook Series, meets the series’ goal of 'preserving your recipes for the next generation of hometown cooks.'”

Mr. Whitaker has authored Smoke In The Mountains – The Art of Appalachian Barbecue, Checkered Flag Cooking – Tailgating Motorsports, The Tennessee Hometown Cookbook, The Georgia Hometown Cookbook and has finished work on the Texas Hometown Cookbook and Gulf Coast Cooking. He has also written and illustrated two books for kids titled Big Mo’s Tennis Ball Hunt and Why Are the Mountains Smoky?

To order a book online or for dealer info please call Annette Goode toll-free 1 888 854-5954
or by email agoode@gapublishers.com

Kent can be reached via email at thedeckchef@hotmail.com