Want to hear a secret?

It’s no exaggeration to say The Food Section exists to rejuvenate food news deserts across the American South.

In fact, that was the elevator pitch for the Substack Local grant which made this publication possible. Given 250 words to explain why I wanted to launch a newsletter, I concluded: In the South, where food is exceptionally important and culture is contested, the scarcity of true food journalism is shameful. My goal in starting this publication is to correct for this blind spot across communities.

(Granted, I also told the Substack team in my application that “I am confident that the quality of this product will facilitate growth,” which goes to show how little I knew back then about subscription models.)

But what I didn’t foresee on April 16, 2021 is that the region’s food news landscape would become even more desolate. While I worried about legacy media writing off food and drink as a lighthearted diversion, and online influencers helping to empower well-funded restaurants and their PR machines, it didn’t occur to me that digital listicles were in trouble.

Then, on December 5, 2024, Vox Media “implement(ed) role eliminations and organizational changes” at Eater, according to a memo from its CEO. In short, parent company Vox pink-slipped many of the editors overseeing the well-known brand’s 23 city sites, which include Eater Carolinas, Eater Nashville, and Eater New Orleans.

Somewhat deviously, Eater didn’t do away with those websites. Instead, it’s now populating supposedly local homepages with recycled material and press releases rewritten by regional editors. “It’s going to be a shell of its former self without a local editor running it,” former Detroit Free Press food critic Mark Kurlyandchik told Axios Detroit. “Who else is going to write about the women making masa out of their house from heirloom corn?”

Honestly, I don’t know who will pick up the slack in southeastern Michigan. But around here, it’s The Food Section’s mission to make sure the food journalism sector doesn’t shrink.

We’re tremendously excited to announce today that longtime Charleston food journalist Stephanie Burt is joining The Food Section as author of its new Nightcap newsletter, debuting on Monday, January 13.

As Lowcountry residents know, Stephanie’s institutional knowledge is unmatched. TFS readers will benefit enormously from her deep understanding of the city and informed appreciation of Southern cuisine.

So, what is the Nightcap newsletter? Unlike other TFS newsletters, which are typically devoted to a single narrative, it features a collection of short items about the Lowcountry’s food-and-beverage scene. It’s lively, buzzy, and very much of the moment: Nightcap aims to be your go-to source for what’s really going on when restaurants close, partnerships dissolve, and fancy events go awry. Nightcap is where readers will find out first which food truck is upgrading to a permanent location, and what an acclaimed out-of-town chef has in mind for her new Charleston bistro.

Years ago, Eater was known for that kind of must-read reportage. Yet as the site grew, it standardized its coverage across the country, with predictably weird results. City editors were sometimes tasked with coming up with lists of happy hours (still illegal in North Carolina), or places to patronize on a snowy day (South Carolina didn’t get a flake last winter.) While I made up those examples, they’re not far off the mark. The point is: Fun, highly localized food news disappeared.

Now, it’s back—in your inbox on Mondays at 8:43 p.m. Eastern.

In some ways, Nightcap represents a departure for TFS, which hasn’t before ventured into what could be dismissed as gossip. In other ways, though, the evening newsletter’s in keeping not just with TFS’ mission, but its defining spirit.

Thanks to the generous sponsorship of Pink Cactus, Nightcap will be free to read. But folks have to sign up to receive it! If you’re not already on The Food Section’s email list, you can add your address here.