Julia Child taught a lot of cooks a lot of things, but nothing she said ever resonated with me more than these words: “Find something you’re passionate about and keep tremendously interested in it.” That realization has gotten me through some otherwise mundane times in my life, and those are the very words that inspired me to create my food blog, “Some Kinda Good.” I never imagined doing what you love could open so many doors, but as it turns out, when you do what you love, success comes. This food column is my success.
    A 2005 graduate of Georgia Southern, the Boro is a second home to me. Having grown up in rural Georgia with a family who loves to entertain and have a big time, my love for food began young as I witnessed my Daddy’s sheer pleasure eating Grandma’s cathead biscuits when we gathered around that eat-in kitchen table. I also remember the smile that would grace Mama’s face when she pulled out that old-fashioned, pale blue-and-white churn to fix homemade peach ice cream on the front porch. As a kid, it was always my job to set the table, and I took great pride in it as I anticipated the coming meal.
    Though I’m no professional chef, my TV stays glued to the Food Network. When Southern Living and Bon Appetit magazines arrive in my mailbox each month, you’d think it was Christmas day. The movie “Julie & Julia” — Julia Child’s story of her start in the cooking profession intertwined with blogger Julie Powell’s challenge to cook all the recipes in “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” — could be on repeat, and I’d watch it with just as much enthusiasm and awe the 100th time as I did the first. Just as a painter loves a blank canvas, learning about, cooking and experiencing food, especially in the South, brings me great satisfaction.
    As a college student circa 2001, Statesboro’s dining scene consisted of about four chain restaurants, Fordham’s Farmhouse, Snooky’s and fast food. RJ’s was the place you took your parents when they came to town, and in my brother’s day, Franklin’s was the restaurant to beat. I moved away for a little while and came back to a dining scene I didn’t recognize, one that keeps changing and growing today.
    Our little corner of southeast Georgia is chock-full of those mom-and-pop joints and locally owned restaurants and bakeries that make small-town America great, like Hunter Cattle Company and Prosser’s Wholesale Shrimp in Brooklet, Strickland Farms on Highway 67 and Statesboro’s own Freeman’s Mill, Ellis Meat Market (that’s been around for over 40 years), L&D Farm Fresh Produce and Sugar Magnolia Bakery & Café. These are just a few of the jewels in our neck of the woods, the little secrets that bring the Boro to life. We even have some trendy spots springing up downtown, and I can’t wait to get an inside scoop at these local establishments and share them with you.
    Until then, Memorial Day is next weekend, which marks a time for grilling and the long-awaited summer season. Marinated chili-lime chicken breasts, summer squash and Vidalia onions brushed with garlic-infused olive oil already have my grill grate licking its chops and begging for more. 
    So, turn up the radio, pour yourself a cool drink, and fire up the grill. Let’s celebrate summertime!

    Rebekah Faulk blogs at SomeKindaGood.org, a Southern, coastal food blog featuring East Coast restaurant reviews and Lowcountry-inspired recipes.