VIA PRESS RELEASE | Rebecca Wood, the chef, trusted keeper and diviner at Zac Brown’s renowned Southern Ground Nashville studio will commemorate nearly a decade of food-related antics from Music City with the release of her first publication, The Studio Mama Cookbook, out June 7, 2022. A lively collection of southern-bred recipes and first-hand accounts featuring some of today’s most distinguished musical characters, the book marries two timeless artforms with a uniquely personal touch. It is available for preorder today via Rebecca’s own Hearts in the Mix online storefront.
Rebecca earned her nom de plume as “The Studio Mama” from Zac Brown when he enlisted her to oversee day-to-day operations at his newly-acquired Southern Ground Nashville recording studio in 2012. The latest successor in a long line of iconoclasts who made their mark on the building, Zac transformed the facility into a modern-day music haven. Renovations included installing a fully-functional residential kitchen that Rebecca would soon call home. In her role as administrative assistant, she became a backbone of the studio, shaping the warm and inviting culture that is now intrinsic to its ethos. Throughout her tenure at Southern Ground, Rebecca took care of the studio and the people in it, her generous spirit becoming a shiny feature of the recording experience. As word spread about Rebecca’s tantalizing mid-session meals, they too became a driving force for repeat business.
“Rebecca’s spark and bad-assery were a perfect fit in the fold,” Brown shares. “She made Southern Ground a home-away-from-home for anybody who came in. She was the heart of that place, The Studio Mama.”
With time-honored traditions perfected over generations in the kitchen, Rebecca is a seasoned culinary maven. Her passion for seasonal cooking stems largely from her Depression-era grandparents, who taught her the value of homegrown food, how to be resourceful, and the magic of sharing meals with loved ones. In her print debut, she covers essential southern dishes like pimento cheese, deviled eggs, and chicken and waffles, all with a distinctly “Rebecca” spin. Each recipe spotlight is paired with a musician she once served it to, many of which have earned a permanent spot on their riders.
“Lunchtime in the Southern Ground kitchen was a magical time for community and bread-breaking,” adds Rebecca. “I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to bring all the edible magic that was made in the studio basement to light.”
The Studio Mama Cookbook is as much an instruction manual for southern hospitality as it is a backstage pass inside Nashville’s often private recording scene. A combo plate of people, stories, culture, and recipes for all occasions, the hearty collection offers a mouth-watering portrait of the music industry through the lens of a universal keystone – food. The recipes presented in the cookbook include anecdotes and photos from recording sessions, as well as Rebecca’s handy Kitchen Notes, which delve into her process, her pantry items, and her relationships with farmers and growers of the region.
The book is made complete with rousing tales behind some of the most celebrated records in recent history, offering music fans a taste of what their favorite musicians were eating while they recorded. With cameos from such illustrious artists as Dave Grohl, Kacey Musgraves, Leon Bridges, Cheap Trick, Shawn Mendes, Carrie Underwood, and more, The Studio Mama Cookbook is both a riveting glimpse into the mystical music business and a handy resource for the everyday entertainer.
