December 18, 2020 Need an idea on how to up your Southern pantry game? We asked seven chefs around the South—from a pitmaster in Florida to an Indian American entrepreneur in Nashville to a Gullah historian and cook—to tell us the items they always have on hand, come hell or high water. Here are their collected responses, including a special chaat masala, Hellmann’s mayonnaise (gasp), a stand-out peanut butter, and some universal classics (here’s to you, Hunt’s tomatoes). : You won’t catch the Kentucky chef Ouita Michel of Holly Hill Inn without Crystal Hot Sauce for shrimp and grits or a gumbo, and she’s always got a bottle of Lea and Perrin’s Worcestershire sauce on hand, her secret-weapon ingredient in sauces, soups, and marinades. “It can’t be beat for depth of flavor,” she says. Michel is also a Ro-tel gal and a lover of Hunt’s fire-roasted tomatoes for wintertime salsas, pastas, or beans. And if it’s an on-the-fly lunch she’s after, she’s still loyal to her childhood favorite, Campbell’s bean and bacon soup.