How Southern Food Has Finally Embraced Its Multicultural Soul

The signs of a Nuevo South are impossible to miss at Jose and Sons, a buzzy restaurant inside a former train depot in downtown Raleigh, N.C. On a window on the side of a door, Hola Y'all flows in a jolly green script, while Hecho en Raleigh snakes across the bar in big block letters.

The slogans are a preview of a menu that seamlessly melds Southern and Mexican classics--think collard-green tamales, pork chops rubbed in al pastor spices, pimento cheese enlivened with chicharrones.