Who is Pat Branning?
Pat Branning is what happens when a sharp wit, a Southern kitchen, and a journalism degree from the University of Georgia all sit down to supper together. A true steel magnolia with ink on her fingers and cornbread in the oven, Pat first made her mark as the Women’s Editor for WSB Radio in Atlanta. Back then, she was the voice of the Southern woman—graceful, curious, and maybe just a touch nosy (in the best kind of way).
Before most folks knew who Ted Turner was—back when he still had a full head of hair and wild ideas—Pat was right there beside him at his little Atlanta station on West Peachtree. CNN wasn’t even a twinkle in his cable-loving eye yet. She kept the train on the tracks while Ted dreamed up the future of news network.
Then came love, marriage, and a move to Beaufort, South Carolina, where Pat traded radio and TV waves for marsh views and moss-draped oaks. Her husband had the wild idea to buy a golf course community on Lady’s Island. Of course, back then folks called them “plantations”—because everything sounds fancier when you add a little historical flair.
She spent those Lowcountry years gathering stories like pearls—collected at oyster roasts, dove hunts, and over cocktails in antebellum dining rooms. She scribbled down recipes between sips of wine and sweet tea, never quite knowing those notes would someday fill the pages of seven best-selling books. That’s right—seven. Most folks barely get around to organizing their spice rack, and Pat’s over here writing the culinary history of the South.
As editor of her own beautiful publication Shrimp, Collards & Grits, she brought the soul of Southern living to bookshelves and grocery aisles everywhere—from Whole Foods to Wegmans. Then came the pandemic, and like many grand Southern traditions (cotillion, for instance), the magazine gracefully took its bow.
But don’t fret—Pat’s not done yet.
Now she’s right here on Substack, telling stories, swapping recipes, and dishing out generous helpings of history and humor. So pour yourself a glass of something cold, pull up a chair, and subscribe—because when Pat starts telling stories, you won’t want to miss a word.
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Tides of Tradition.
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