On Second Thought For Wednesday, September 21, 2016

Atlanta Chef Kevin Gillespie was a fan favorite on the TV cooking competition “Top Chef.” He now runs two restaurants in Atlanta: Gunshow and Revival. In his latest cookbook, “Pure Pork Awesomeness,” Gillespie professes his love of pigs (even the living kind) and shares recipes for the home cook without the “chef-y” language. We revisit our conversation with Gillespie who tells us about some of his favorite recipes and his definition of Southern food.

Plus, the watermelon was once a symbol of black sufficiency but is now a racial stereotype. We look back at our conversation with Pat Turner, a professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, about the history of watermelons and how it became associated with one race.

And, the culinary world is divided. Women spend on average more time in the kitchen than men, but most celebrity chefs are men. One food writer is calling for more gender diversity in her field because she says that matters to food trends and journalism. In a commentary, Kathleen Purvis, the food editor of the Charlotte Observer, says women need to have a seat at that table. And what about racial diversity in food writing? We remember our conversation about the importance of that with Nicole Taylor of the Hot Grease Podcast, food and beer writer Dennis Byron, and Natalie Keng of the Chinese Southern Belle.