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June 30, 2026

How Hot Chicken Became Nashville’s Most Iconic Food

City Cast Nashville

How Hot Chicken Became Nashville’s Most Iconic Food

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Once upon a time, then-Mayor Bill Purcell decided to spread the good news of hot chicken to the masses, via a festival in East Park as part of Nashville’s bicentennial. Twenty years later, the Music City Hot Chicken Festival (a July 4th tradition) continues to thrive, and hot chicken outposts can be found as far away as Uzbekistan. Mayor Purcell sits down with Marie Cecile Anderson to tell us about his four decade journey with the spiciest of fowl.

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