Southern Living, the leading authority on Southern life and culture, has partnered with Nashville to celebrate the brand’s 50th anniversary in 2016 with Nashville Now (#NashvilleNow), an event taking place Labor Day weekend, Sept. 1-5, throughout Music City.
In addition, Southern Living collaborated with Goo Goo and Tennessee Brew Works for Nashville Now on limited edition flavors to commemorate the 50th anniversary: The Hummingbird Premium Goo Goo and Tennessee Brew Works’ Wildflower Honey Blonde Ale.
“We are thrilled to be working with the city of Nashville – it’s one of our favorite Southern cities and a great example of how the South is continuously evolving but also celebrating its roots,” said Southern Living Editor Sid Evans. “And what better way to celebrate our 50th anniversary than by partnering with two iconic Nashville brands? They both make products that are beloved by Southerners, and we look forward to sharing these limited editions with the Southern Living audience.”
The partnership was highlighted by Evans in New York City on Wednesday, Jan. 20, at Southern Living’s 50th anniversary lunch at Chefs Club by Food & Wine. The event celebrated women in the kitchen and featured four nationally renowned chefs, including Nashville-based chef Sarah Gavigan of Otaku Ramen. The partnership also will be highlighted in the 50th anniversary issue of Southern Living on newsstands Jan. 22.
The Hummingbird Premium Goo Goo was a collaboration between Southern Living and the Goo Goo team to come up with the perfect representation of the southern lifestyle in candy form. The Hummingbird Premium Goo Goo was inspired by a very southern dessert, the Hummingbird Cake. Since the original recipe for Hummingbird Cake appeared in Southern Living in 1978, it has become the most requested recipe in the brand’s history.
The Hummingbird Premium Goo Goo is made of pecan butter, pecans, banana chips, caramel, vanilla wafer and whipped pineapple white chocolate cream cheese ganache, all covered in dark chocolate. The 4-ounce confection is made by hand in downtown Nashville at the Goo Goo Shop, 116 Third Avenue South. It is available for purchase exclusively at the Goo Goo Shop and online at www.googoo.com from Feb. 1 to March 31, and it will be re-released in September for the NashvilleNow event.
Tennessee Brew Works’ Wildflower Honey Blonde Ale will follow in the tradition of many of the brewery’s creations which celebrate the flavors of the area by utilizing fresh ingredients from local businesses and farms.
During the Labor Day weekend, several programs will be offered to the public and at ticketed-events with each one curated by Southern Living editors to provide an inside look into the authentic happenings in Music City.
Attendees will be able to experience Nashville’s distinct creative culture and Southern hospitality through a diverse array of programs, including culinary events, shows from local fashion designers, and, of course, songwriters in the round highlighting some of Nashville’s best songsmiths. The Labor Day weekend also will include garden tours, art shows and events featuring local boutique shops. The event schedule and information about visitor packages will be announced in the coming weeks.
“Nashville has relied on Southern Living to carry our message to consumers for decades,” said Butch Spyridon, president and CEO of the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp. “We are honored they wanted to work with us and pleased with the opportunity to showcase our music, food and fashion as part of their 50th anniversary.” Nashville has been on a record 60-month streak of year-over-year growth of hotel rooms sold and hotel taxes collected – the only Top 50 destination city in the country to achieve that level of sustained success.
Southern Living celebrates the essence of life in the South, covering the best in Southern food, home, garden, and travel. Reaching more than 23 million people each month, Southern Living connects consumers to the region’s rich culture through a variety of print, digital, mobile, tablet and event platforms. Headquartered in Birmingham, AL, the rapidly expanding Southern Living brand is part of Time Inc., one of the largest media companies in the world.
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