Emily Cochrane

Emily Cochrane · NYT Cooking

Diana McBride doesn’t even like lemonade — even with more sugar, it’s just not the flavor for her. But behind the scenes at the Grand Ole Opry, the Nashville institution and longtime country music radio show, she took it upon herself to start making lemonade for everyone backstage at each show. And now, while she has a catchall role in backstage hospitality, most people there only know her as “Lemonade,” and the recipe is so sacrosanct that no one else has it. She goes so far as to avoid taking long stretches of vacation and makes gallons in advance of her days off, so there’s almost always a batch on hand. In honor of the 100th anniversary of the Opry, she shared an adaptation of the recipe, still keeping some lemonade secrets for herself. One secret, she wrote in an email, “is letting it sit overnight so the flavors mix together and become delicious. I hope you enjoy making your tea and lemonade as much as I do making it at the Grand Ole Opry.” — Emily Cochrane

Emily Cochrane · NYT Cooking

With a heat that comes from spice, not temperature, this crunchy cabbage slaw is all but guaranteed to be at any barbecue, potluck or Fourth of July meal in Cleveland, Tennessee. But it didn’t get much attention statewide until 2024, when lawmakers agreed to make hot slaw the state’s first official food and crown this eastern Tennessee city the hot slaw capital. While there are many tightly guarded variations, hot slaw in Cleveland is widely viewed as beginning at the Star Vue Drive-In Theater’s concession stand. This recipe is adapted from a version held onto by Brad H. Benton, whose father owned the 1950s-era theater. Serve it on a hot dog or with pulled pork or barbecue — or just grab a heaping spoonful. Emily Cochrane and Cathy Lo