Staff

Founder | Publisher

Joshua Fitzwater, known to his colleagues as “Fitz”, founded Southern Grit Magazine in November 2014 in the Hampton Roads region of Virginia. The magazine centered around Virginia foodways and history, which he felt were highly under-recognized nationally. Fitz took Southern Grit from a regional publication to a statewide publication that also creates content on the greater South. In all, he has self-published 15 editions of Southern Grit to date, organized multiple food history events, most notably Stirring the Pot: A James Hemings Dinner, which received recognition from Senator Mark R. Warner of Virginia.

An award winning photographer in Hampton Roads, Fitz photographs nearly 75% of the publication, contributes multiple articles to each edition, often supplies hand drawn illustrations to the magazine and designs the layout to boot. While doing this, he has also been a steady contributor to Virginia food media as a writer and photographer for television, and hosted a Hampton Roads radio food show, Grit with Deb and Fitz.

Fitz has not only distinguished himself as food journalist in the Old Dominion but also has made a mark on the culinary scene by cooking, conserving and educating the public. Most notably, with heirloom watermelons and authentic Virginian whole hog pit barbecues. His work with these subjects has been featured in Garden & Gun Magazine, Gravy Magazine and The Virginian-Pilot newspaper.

Specifically when it comes to heirloom watermelons, Fitz was instrumental in large scale grows in Fredericksburg, Virginia. He grew Ancient Crookneck watermelons on indigenous Patawomeck land, which are attributed to Native Americans, and also grew other rare heirloom watermelons for seed saving purposes. He has begun the early work of cross pollinating select heirlooms in an ongoing effort to create a uniquely Virginian watermelon. These efforts, along with getting many of these heirloom watermelons into the hands of Virginia chefs and restaurants, were paired with a collaboration with Hampton Roads chefs to make watermelon hot sauce and barbecue sauce that led to both national and regional recognition.

When it comes to authentic Virginian whole hog barbecue, Fitz has studied under acclaimed Virginian author and pitmaster Joseph R. Haynes (Virginia Barbecue: A History). Fitz has also cooked whole hogs alongside pitmaster Alex Bazemore, who is recognized in Virginia for being a steward of the original process. Fitz has published and written several articles on the topic, and in 2021 was featured as a barbecue history expert on the Foodways with Carla Hall television show where Bazemore and Fitz cooked a whole hog in the ground – the Virginian way. Fitz was instrumental in organizing this cook and bringing national exposure to Virginia barbecue, which is where American barbecue as we know it today originates.

From current projects like the Heirloom Hunters YouTube series, to upcoming projects like Distinctly Virginian, a film series Fitz is in the process of developing alongside videographer Matt Wade and Level Up Media, and a second iteration of the Grit radio show that is also in development, Fitz stays busy and does his part to help carry Virginia foodways on his back.

Managing Editor | Writer

Debra Freeman is a food historian who writes about the intersection of race, culture, and food. Her work has been featured in the pages of Garden and Gun, Southern Living, Epicurious, Plate Magazine, Pit Magazine, Gravy, and Gastro Obscura, and she has done cultural commentary for BBC Radio and other international outlets. She has written several articles on barbecue, with a particular focus on Virginia and the origins of barbecue in the state. Freeman currently hosts a podcast on Whetstone Radio, Setting the Table, that explores the history of African-American foodways.