Photo courtesy of The Farm and Fisherman Tavern

If you live in South Jersey and don’t become a foodie, are you really a resident of the Garden State? Welcome to your next obsession – if you’re not already obsessed – packed with juicy tomatoes, friendly chefs and some seriously intense debates over mystery meat products. It’s the life of a South Jersey foodie, and it’s delicious.

Curating your foodie feed

Why wait for dinner to look at delicious food? Follow these South Jersey creators for a foodie feed.

Matt Groark
@groarkboysbbq
Learn anything and everything you’ve wanted to know about cooking meat.
Instagram – 323k followers
TikTok – 3.6M followers

Shereen Pavlides
@cookingwithshereen
Learn to cook lots of jaw-dropping dishes.
Instagram – 1.2M followers
TikTok – 5M followers

Traveling Tastebuds
Exploring New Jersey’s best bites.
Instagram – 36.5k followers: @the.traveling.tastebuds
TikTok – 126.3k followers: @travelingtastebuds

South Jersey Food Scene
@southjerseyfoodscene
South Jersey food news, reviews and deals.
Instagram – 17.2k followers TikTok – 1.6k followers
Facebook Group – 219k members

Traveling with CVA
@travelingwithcva
Travel, life & food in South Jersey and beyond.
Instagram – 73k followers TikTok – 284k followers

South Jersey Foodie
@southjerseyfoodie
Showcasing South Jersey eateries
Instagram 1.7k followers
TikTok 46.7k followers

SJ Comfort Foods

PJ from Traveling Tastebuds

My dish is a roast beef sandwich at Louie G’s. I have mentioned them so many times, but they deserve all of the flowers.

As for a place I go after a long week, it has to be Kid Rips (anything on their menu is potentially the best food in South Jersey) or Dominic’s Tavern (Fat Daddy wings).

Lilliana from South Jersey Foodie

My comfort food is the Veal Monte Rosa from Lamberti’s Tutti Toscani. All of the fresh ingredients compliment each other so well. The dish reminds me of my grandmother’s cooking and makes my heart happy.

Potluck Picks from SJ Chefs

Struggling to impress your friends at the potluck party?
We’ve been there. So we consulted chefs from some of the most delicious spots in South Jersey. Here are their go-to potluck dishes.

Oh, that’s easy. I would bring my grandmother’s 12hr braised short rib.
First I simmer the beef short rib in red wine for 12 hours with carrots, onion and celery. Then, once its fork tender, remove from wine and serve over creamy mashed and red wine gravy.
Executive Chef Andrew Pearce, Monterey Grill

I’d bring homemade rice pudding. It’s a timeless comfort dessert that brings people together – simple, sweet and full of warmth. It’s easy to make in large batches, travels well and can be served either warm or chilled. Rice pudding is one of those dishes that everyone seems to have a memory of, whether it reminds them of their grandmother’s kitchen, a cozy winter evening or a special family gathering.
Pastry Chef Zena Demirceviren, By Zena

I’d bring Southern Soul Oyster Mushrooms from La Lus Vegan Cafe because they’re delicious, comforting and packed with health benefits.
The mushrooms are marinated in seasoned vegan buttermilk, coated in a spiced flour blend and fried until golden and crispy. Oyster mushrooms are naturally rich in antioxidants, fiber and plant-based protein, supporting heart health and boosting immunity. This dish offers that classic Southern crunch with a nutritious, feel-good twist – soul food that loves you back.
Chef Shawnna Hardin, La Lus Vegan Cafe

Penne alla Norma. It celebrates Mediterranean flavors – eggplant, tomatoes, basil and ricotta salata – and captures the warmth of Southern Italy in every bite. It’s vegetarian, easy to serve in a large bowl and feels both rustic and elegant.
Chef Andrea Esposito, Ristorante LUCCA

The 2022 Census of Agriculture recorded thatNew Jersey has 9,998 farms.

NJ is known as the“diner capital of the world.”

The blueberry is the official state fruit of New Jersey.

Salt Water Taffy was invented (by accident) on the Atlantic City Boardwalk.

Canned condensed soup was invented by Campbell’s in 1897 in Camden.

Get happy at happy hour

Harvest Seasonal Grill
Moorestown
Mon. – Fri. | 3 to 6 pm
in bar area and patio
Highlights: seasonal menus, $5 sangria, $10 dips

Monterey Grill
Mt. Laurel
Mon. – Sat. | 4 to 6 pm
at the bar/bar area
Sun. | 3 to 5 pm at the bar/bar area
Highlights: $10 cocktails,
½ dozen oysters for $12

Seasons 52
Cherry Hill
Mon. – Fri. | 3 to 6 pm in
the wine bar
Highlights: $7 cocktails,
$8 small plates

Caffe Aldo Lamberti
Cherry Hill
Sun. – Thurs. | 3 to 6 pm
Highlights: $9 cocktails, small bites

Carlucci’s Waterfront
Mt. Laurel
Mon. – Fri. | 3 to 6:30 pm
Highlights: $9 select cocktails, $10 flatbreads
on Thursdays

Splitz Bowling Bar and Grill
Maple Shade
Mon. – Fri. | 4 to 7 pm
Highlights: $5 well drinks,
$5 snacks

Chickie’s & Pete’s
Marlton
Mon. – Fri. | 4 to 6 pm
Sun. – Thurs. | 10 pm to midnight
Highlights: $6 Tito’s
drinks, ½ off wings

Tommy’s Tavern & Tap
Mt. Laurel
Mon. – Fri. | 3 to 6 pm
at the bar
Highlights: $2 off cocktails, $12 spinach & artichoke dip

Hard Rock Cafe
Atlantic City
Mon. – Thurs. | 4 to 6 pm
Highlights: $7 cocktails,
$8 and $10 eats

Eating Local at Home

These SJ markets and shops offer local foods like honey, jams, hot sauce and more.

Haddon Culinary
haddonculinary.com
Collingswood & Haddonfield

Johnson’s Corner Farm
johnsonsfarm.com
Medford

The Shoppes at Medford Mill
themedfordmill.com
Medford

Murphy’s Market
murphysmarkets.com
Medford, Tabernacle & Beach Haven

Jersey Java & Tea
jerseyjavaandtea.com
Haddonfield

Revolution Coffee
revolutioncoffeeroasters.com
Collingswood

The beauty of the cranberry

A little history…

The Garden State’s cranberry farming roots run deep. In fact, they run all the way back to 1835 in Burlington County in a bog near Burrs’ Mills. But it wasn’t long before many other cranberry bogs were established throughout the Pine Barrens – one of the few places where cranberries grow naturally.

In the early 1900s, the largest cranberry farm in New Jersey was located in the Pine Barrens: Whitesbog Village. The farm now hosts visitors and events where you can learn about the history and culture of cranberry farming in the state.

But New Jersey’s connection to cranberries doesn’t stop there. Elizabeth Lee, a cranberry farmer who went on to found Ocean Spray, created cranberry sauce right here in the Garden State. She originally called her new creation “Bog Sweet.”

THE STAPLES
Out-of-the-box cranberry cooking
• Cranberry sauce
• Cranberries, nuts and goat cheese in a salad
• In your oatmeal
• Trail mix

Cranberries and brie baked on puff pastry bites

Whipped feta topped with homemade cranberry sauce and pistachios. Serve with dippable bread.

Cranberry and apple sangria

Cranberry juice mimosas

Add cranberries to stuffing

Cranberry sauce on a Thanksgiving leftovers sandwich

Cranberry glaze on pork roast

Top a favorite dessert with sugared cranberries

Settling the Pork Roll or Taylor Ham debate

In 1856, a man in Trenton named John Taylor tried a new method for processing and preserving meat. He named the combination of miscellaneous pork products, sugar, spices and salt “Taylor’s Prepared Ham.” But in 1906, food labeling authorities made a decision that would divide the Garden State, maybe forever. With the passing of the Pure Food and Drug Act, Taylor’s creation no longer met the requirements to be categorized as ham. Taylor’s company – and all other manufacturers – fell in line, calling the product “pork roll” instead. Except, apparently consumers in North Jersey didn’t catch on, and they continue to call it Taylor Ham to this day. So next time you meet someone who tells you it’s Taylor Ham, not pork roll, you can just tell them to stop living in the past.

Hold the Booze

Your night out is going through a transformation. And Stephanie Kinney is helping make it one you’ll remember (because there’s no alcohol involved).

“It’s not a one-to-one swap,” says Kinney, co-owner of the Collingswood non-alcoholic cocktail bar, Mercantile 1888.

“It can be harder to mix some of the non-alcoholic stuff, because it’s not what you expect.”

Kinney is talking about zero-proof cocktails. Those are drinks that are made with spirits that have basically zero alcohol in them, unlike mocktails which are made with a mixture of juices, syrups or sodas, which would not typically have alcohol in them.

While many people brush off mocktails as “a bunch of juice thrown together,” the art of zero-proof cocktails is just that, an art. “It can take us some time to get the drinks just right,” she says. There are certain things that don’t exist in the non-alcoholic world. Like, if a drink needed banana liqueur, a non-alcoholic version doesn’t really exist. So we would have to make a syrup to replace it.”

Your night out is going through a transformation. And Stephanie Kinney is helping make it one you’ll remember (because there’s no alcohol involved).

“It’s not a one-to-one swap,” says Kinney, co-owner of the Collingswood non-alcoholic cocktail bar, Mercantile 1888.

“It can be harder to mix some of the non-alcoholic stuff, because it’s not what you expect.”

So when Mercantile 1888 first opened, Kinney enlisted the assistance of a mixologist to get the menu just right. And she’s sure to remind anyone who wants to dip their toe into zero-proof cocktail making that it’s not as simple as throwing together a whiskey coke or a vodka cranberry.

“I tell people that you can start with a baseline recipe for a cocktail,” she says. “But then you have to tweak it. It’s not always exact, adding one thing or another. So don’t be afraid to try different things, different mixtures.”

Her new favorite non-alcoholic ingredient is N/A bitters – a new release for the N/A industry. Kinney recommends using it to balance your drink. “I always start with adding bitters to the base recipe,” she says. “My favorite brand is New Orleans bitters, and they have this almost seafood taste. It adds something to the drink that you wouldn’t otherwise get. I try to use it in everything.”

She even recommends adding a few drops to club soda for an easy, tasty drink.

Another ingredient to keep in your rotation for your zero-proof cocktails is flavored syrup. A staple for standard cocktails as well, syrups can add sweetness to your cocktail, but when you make them yourself, you get to control how sweet they are.

“For a long time, no one was making a non-alcoholic option for elderflower liqueur, which we need for one of our cocktails,” Kinney says. “So we were making a light elderflower syrup – with a lot less sugar and more elderflower, because we wanted the taste, but didn’t want it to be a sugary drink.”

As the zero-proof industry expands and non-alcoholic options become more popular, Kinney sees more bars like her own poping up in the area. And she loves it.

“I’m all about it,” she says.

“I want to see more and taste more. I don’t think of them as competition, because I’m a big fan of options. The more places that pop up, the more people who come to support all of us, the more it will continue to grow.”