Debby Maugans Nakos writes a monthly column for Birmingham Magazine and is former food editor of Creative Ideas for Living magazine. Her articles have also appeared in Bon Appétit and Food & Wine, and she developed the recipes for Fannie Flagg's popular Whistle Stop Café Cookbook. She lives in Birmingham, Alabama, with her husband and two daughters, who draw straws to see who gets to taste test the small-batch recipes.