Courtesy of Freight House
Chef Spotlight: Sara Bradley
Ten years ago, the Kentucky native, Top Chef All Star, and Chopped champion opened Freight House in her hometown of Paducah. Inspired by her Southern, Appalachian, and Jewish heritage, Bradley’s cooking is technique-driven and seasonally focused. She dishes about a favorite summer salad, her eponymous cocktail, and why Paducah is perfect for her.
Courtesy Freight House
Fresh Fare | “The Nuts & Bolts Salad has local wheatberries marinated in green onion dressing. We add fresh blueberries, onions, peaches, cucumbers, peppers, and herbs—then top it with a poached egg. We say, ‘If it grows together, it goes together.’”
Sara’s Dirty Deed | “This cocktail is basically vodka and pickle shrub, a syrup made with white wine vinegar, cucumbers, sugar, dill, and red chili flakes. For garnish, it has a sriracha salt rim, smoked goat cheese–stuffed olives, dried sour cherries, and little pickled peppers. It’s a slammer.”
Out & About | “If I’m not gardening or landscaping, I love taking my children downtown. Paducah has tons of outdoor recreation, great museums, and cool shops. My kids like to go to the riverfront and see the birds.”
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New & Noteworthy Eats
Photo by Tim Robison
Highlands Supper Club
Highlands, North Carolina
In a converted historic log cabin next to Trailborn Highlands boutique hotel, this Southern eatery and bar creates dishes including Southern cioppino (seafood stew) with Carolina shrimp and cocktails such as the Blue Ridge Gibson, featuring Belvedere vodka, Dolin dry vermouth, and beet-pickled onion.
Judith
Sewanee, Tennessee
Chef Julia Sullivan (of Nashville’s Henrietta Red) named her second restaurant after Judith Ward Lineback, the first woman to matriculate at the University of the South. The American tavern serves entrees such as whole trout with beurre blanc and green onion, and pork schnitzel with sauerkraut, mustard, and collards.
Steak and Grace
Dunwoody, Georgia
Breaking away from the typical moody steakhouse vibe, this modern, light-filled spot serves up dishes like braised beef short rib, dry-aged steak burgers, and hanger steak and frites. An extended patio offers alfresco dining for summer nights.
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Courtesy Coastal Alabama Orange Beach Restaurant
Bushwacker Birthday
The twin beach towns of Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, Alabama, are celebrating the 50th anniversary of their signature drink. Sample variations of the creamy frozen concoction along the Bushwacker Trail, where participating restaurants will also feature monthly Bushwacker-inspired desserts (think cheesecake and tiramisu) during the year’s “12 Months of Bushwackers.”
This article appears in the Summer 2025 issue of Southbound.
