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G
S
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CLOCKW
ISE FROM
TOP RIGHT: SARAH CRAM
ER SHIELDS; BILL PHELPS; KATE M
EDLEY
TH E
TEACHER
MARCIE COHEN FERRIS
CHAPEL HILL, NC
Marcie Cohen Ferris’ work
on Jewish foodways, marked
by her book Matzo Ball
Gumbo, paved the way for
more inclusive understand-
ings of Southern culinary
culture. Her next book, The
Edible South, charted the
food history of our region
and mapped a path for
future scholars. A native
of Blytheville, Arkansas,
Ferris has taught a genera-
tion of students at The
University of North Carolina
at Chapel Hill how to read
and think about the South.
And she has done this
important work while
maintaining an infectious
sense of humor.
THE WINEMAKER
GABRIELE RAUSSE, CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA
A champion of Virginia grape growing and winemaking, Gabriele Rausse
grew up in northern Italy. In 1976, he came to Barboursville, near Charlot-
tesville, where a short consultation became a career. Mastering complex
graft work, he nurtured a nascent Virginia wine industry, coaxing old-
world grapes to thrive in a difficult climate. Rausse has mentored growers
at dozens of vineyards, including Blenheim and Afton Mountain. In 1997,
he founded his label, Gabriele Rausse Winery. He believes the future for
Virginia vineyards is bright, and he makes wines that validate his optimism.
Raised by her grandmother in Tampa, Florida, Ira Wallace traveled the world after
college. She lived on an Israeli kibbutz and on farms in Canada, Scandinavia, and
North Carolina. In 1984, she settled in Virginia, where she helped found Twin Oaks
Community cooperative farm, an early commercial maker of tofu. Today, Wallace helps
direct Southern Exposure Seed Exchange (a mighty force in the fight for environmental
diversity) and teaches workshops about heirloom and open-pollinated seeds, framing
their importance with narratives about family and resilience.
THE SEED SAVER IRA WALLACE, MINERAL, VA
SOUTHERNLIVING.COM / JULY 20 19
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