"James Beard Award-winning Southern restaurant Crook’s Corner announced that it would close its doors, effective immediately, after almost 40 years. Opened in 1982 by Gene Hamer and chef Bill Neal, Crook’s was at the forefront of the Southern farm-to-table movement, and is credited with popularizing the modern iteration of shrimp and grits. Chef Bill Smith took over after the original chef Bill Neal died in 1991, and ran the kitchen until 2019. Chef Carrie Schleiffer was recently brought on, but it seems COVID has claimed another institution." - Matt Lardie