As a resident of Myrtle Beach, Gwen Fowler lives minutes away from many of the state’s fun food festivals and great seafood markets and restaurants. She is a good Southern cook, but she’s also lucky to be married to a man who turns out fine meals many nights at home.

Gwen is a freelance writer and teaches journalism classes at Coastal Carolina University. She was a reporter and editor at daily newspapers for almost 25 years. When you can find Gwen not eating, you might find her running. She runs almost every day and has run six marathons in the past five years. If you’re going to eat a lot, it helps to love an activity that burns a lot of calories.