Best Americansouth Podcasts (2024)

1
Where There's (Southern) Smoke, There's Help for Restaurant Workers 27:13

1h ago27:13

27:13

In “Where There's (Southern) Smoke, There's Help for Restaurant Workers,” Gravy producer Evan Stern introduces listeners to the Southern Smoke Foundation, a relief organization dedicated to providing a safety net for food and beverage workers. As the pandemic reminded us, restaurants aren’t just places where people go to satisfy hunger. The best on…

1
Catch of the Day: Why Alabama Loves Red Snapper 26:18

14d ago26:18

26:18

In the episode “Catch of the Day: Why Alabama Loves Red Snapper,” Gravy producer Irina Zhorov takes listeners to the fisherman’s paradise of the Gulf of Mexico, where you’ll find tuna, amberjacks, mahi mahi, swordfish, and more. There’s a commercial fishery worth nearly $1 billion annually and the Gulf has the highest level of spending by recreatio…

1
The Deli Diaspora 25:52

1M ago25:52

25:52

Order a hot pastrami on rye at any delicatessen and you’ll taste the briny terroir of the Jewish Diaspora. Pastrami is an iconic cured meat that migrated with Eastern European Jews to America and became synonymous with the deli, a beloved third place for Jewish communities across the country. In Jackson, Mississippi, that place was the Olde Tyme De…

1
America's Lost Peanut and the Price of Bringing it Back 28:45

2M ago28:45

28:45

In “America’s Lost Peanut and the Price of Bringing it Back,” Gravy producer Otis Gray takes listeners on a journey through the history and revival of the Carolina African Runner Peanut, an heirloom crop thought to be extinct until 2013. Today, a contingency of heirloom enthusiasts and chefs are trying to bring the historic peanut back into the spo…

1
Apalachicola Oysters and the Battle for a Florida Bay 28:32

2M ago28:32

28:32

In “Apalachicola Oysters and the Battle for a Florida Bay,” Gravy producer Betsy Wallace takes listeners to Franklin County, Florida to find out if a new tourist development could be the biggest threat to a decades-long, $30 million investment in the Apalachicola Bay Oyster Fishery Restoration. Franklin County is tucked into Florida’s Forgotten Coa…

1
The Kitchen Electric: Selling Power to Rural America 25:32

3M ago25:32

25:32

When we think of the industrialization of America and the rise of electricity, we’re printed to think about people in cities and factories, where machines and assembly lines abound. We think of Charlie Chaplin tangled up in conveyor belts and cogs in the movie Modern Times. We think of electric motors, coal mining, steam engines. But electricity tr…

1
Bala’s Bistro: Where Mali Meets Memphis 25:10

3M ago25:10

25:10

In “Bala’s Bistro: Where Mali Meets Memphis,” Gravy producers Marie Cascione and Joshua Carlucci profile Malian chefs, cousins, and business partners Bala Tounkara and Mady Magassa. Their story takes us from West Africa to the casinos of Tunica, Mississippi, and finally to South Memphis, where their restaurant, Bala’s Bistro, has become an emblem o…

1
Minnie Bell’s Feeds the Fillmore’s Soul 20:27

3M ago20:27

20:27

In “Minnie Bell’s Feeds the Fillmore’s Soul,” Gravy producer Sarah Jessee takes listeners to the spring 2024 opening of Minnie Bell’s Soul Movement in San Francisco’s Fillmore District, where chef Fernay McPherson—and her food—have come home. McPherson’s family came to the Fillmore from Texas in the 1960s, as part of the Second Great Migration that…

1
Reel It In: Building Local Markets for Fresh Fish 25:25

4M ago25:25

25:25

In “Reel It In: Building Local Markets for Fresh Fish" Gravy producer Irina Zhorov looks for fresh fish in shops along the Gulf of Mexico, where it should be plentiful but can be surprisingly difficult to find. Between 80 to 90% of seafood in the U.S. is imported, despite the country’s generous coasts and well-managed fisheries. Even in seaside com…

1
Ironies and Onion Rings: The Layered Story of the Vidalia Onion 32:04

4M ago32:04

32:04

If you know and love the Vidalia onion—an onion sweet enough, its fans say, to eat like an apple—you likely also know it as a product of Georgia, as proudly claimed as the peach. But the story of the Vidalia’s popularity is far more complex than just one of a local onion made good. In this episode of Gravy: an onion’s success story, born of clever …

1
Gravy Recommends the Podcast Sea Change 33:37

5M ago33:37

33:37

If you're looking for a taste of something new (and Southern) in your podcast playlist, then you should really check out Sea Change, produced by our friends over at WWNO New Orleans Public Radio and distributed by PRX. Nominated for “Best Green” Podcast at the 2024 iHeart Podcast Awards, Sea Change brings you stories that illuminate, inspire, and s…

1
Flambéed! The Art & Theater of Bananas Foster 23:23

5M ago23:23

23:23

In “Flambéed! The Art & Theater of Banana’s Foster” Gravy producer Eve Troeh takes listeners to Brennan’s, the iconic restaurant in New Orleans’ French Quarter, where skilled servers pull off one sensational culinary feat, table after table and day after day—Bananas Foster, flambéed tableside. Brennan’s opened its doors more than seventy years ago,…

1
How Mi Tierra Shaped Modern San Antonio 27:49

5M ago27:49

27:49

In 2017, San Antonio, Texas, was officially designated a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy. One of only two American cities to receive this distinction, its culinary history spans centuries. It claims a dining scene flush with James Beard nominated chefs, old-world German delicatessens, and farm-to-table restaurants that source game and beef from …

1
The Rise and Fall and Rise of Pitmaster Ed Mitcehll 27:31

6M ago27:31

27:31

Ed Mitchell’s name has come to be synonymous with Eastern North Carolina wood-smoked whole-hog barbecue. From Wilson, North Carolina, he grew up smoking hogs and has tried to continue that tradition, using old techniques and traditionally farm-raised pigs. But almost since the start, Ed Mitchell’s barbeque journey has not been a straight line—busin…

1
Wherefore art thou, ROMEO? At Jack’s! 28:38

6M ago28:38

28:38

In “Wherefore art thou, ROMEO? At Jack’s!" Gravy producer Irina Zhorov takes listeners to a busy fast food restaurant in Jasper, Alabama, to sit at a round table with a group of friends who meet there daily. The group, who call themselves ROMEO—Retired Old Men Eating Out—are a fixture at this restaurant. Over coffee and biscuits they share stories,…

1
How Pineywoods Cattle Bucks Big Beef 24:34

7M ago24:34

24:34

In “How Pineywoods Cattle Bucks Big Beef,” Gravy producer Stephanie Burt takes listeners out to the rolling pastures of the South to meet Pineywoods cattle, a breed that’s been grazing in the Southern region of the United States since the 1500s. The cow that some see as old fashioned is being considered in new ways when it comes to farming in the t…

1
Unshelled: George Washington Carver's Real Legacy 26:56

7M ago26:56

26:56

In “Unshelled: George Washington Carver's Real Legacy," producers Ishan Thakore and Katie Jane Fernelius explore a lesser-known aspect of Dr. George Washington Carver’s legacy: his role as a conservationist and a practitioner of sustainable agriculture. Carver’s life defies easy explanation. He was born enslaved and rose to the heights of American …

1
Yock Is for Lovers: Chinese Soul Food in Tidewater Virginia 31:21

8M ago31:21

31:21

In "Yock Is for Lovers: Chinese Soul Food in Tidewater Virginia," Gravy producer Nicole Hutcheson delves into the history of Yock-a-Mein, tracing its origins to the Tidewater region of Virginia and delving into its significant role in shaping the distinctive culinary tradition known as Chinese soul food. Originally created by a novice noodle maker …

1
Catering: Behind the Pipe and Drape 26:49

8M ago26:49

26:49

Have you ever been to a wedding and wondered how hundreds of plates of food arrive at the right destinations at the right time? Often without an on-site kitchen. This is high-concept cooking, done without a net. Cookbook authors Matt Lee and Ted Lee spent four years immersed in the catering industry and wrote a book about their experiences and reve…

1
California Dreams and Flossie’s Mississippi Tamales 35:12

9M ago35:12

35:12

In “California Dreams and Flossie’s Mississippi Tamales,” journalist and Gravy producer Eve Troeh joins businesswoman Sandra Miller Foster to tell the story of the restaurant Flossie’s, and the mother-daughter dream that fueled it. This story grew from a simple question: “Does anyone serve Mississippi-style hot tamales in Los Angeles?” The answer w…

1
Gravy Travels Due South 50:40

9M ago50:40

50:40

If you're looking for a show that is a source for news, information, and perspectives from across North Carolina and the South, then you should really check out Due South from our public radio friends at WUNC—North Carolina Public Radio. Due South is a place to make sense of what’s happening in our community. The show takes deep dives into the news…

1
The Miracle of Slaw and Fishes: Louisiana’s Lenten Fish Fries 23:28

9M ago23:28

23:28

Order a catfish po-boy or a few pounds of crawfish in Acadiana any Friday between Mardi Gras and Easter, and you may be surprised to learn that your delight is another person’s sacrifice. The Catholic tradition of abstaining from meat during Fridays in Lent is alive and well in Southwest Louisiana, a region where more than a third identify as Catho…

1
From Stuckey's to Buc-ee's 28:52

9M ago28:52

28:52

Few companies have inspired more fanatical devotion among Texans than the convenience chain Buc-ee’s. Described by the New York Times as both a “Disneyland of roadside capitalism,” and the “through line of America’s second most sprawling state,” its iconic, buck-toothed beaver mascot has been spotted not just on billboards, but on wedding cakes and…

1
Mahalia Jackson's Glori-Fried Chicken 27:53

10M ago27:53

27:53

In addition to her work as an international recording artist and civil rights activist, the Queen of Gospel entered the restaurant business in the late 1960s with Mahalia Jackson’s Glori-fried Chicken. The fast food chain was more than a brand extension for the star; it was the first African American-owned franchise in the South. Producer Betsy She…

1
It's Hip To Be a Cube: Maggi Bouillon Unwrapped 26:06

10M ago26:06

26:06

In the episode “It’s Hip to Be a Cube: Maggie Bouillon Unwrapped,” Gravy producers Katie Jane Fernelius and Ishan Thakore take a deeper look at a humble but ubiquitous pantry staple—the bouillon cube. As many home cooks know, these dehydrated cubes of salty, umami flavor dissolve in water to create a makeshift broth. But the result is much more tha…

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Americansouth Podcasts

Podcasts Worth a Listen

1
Gravy

Southern Foodways Alliance

1
The Long Journey Podcast

Jason Jamar

1
Where There's (Southern) Smoke, There's Help for Restaurant Workers 27:13

1
Catch of the Day: Why Alabama Loves Red Snapper 26:18

1
The Deli Diaspora 25:52

1
America's Lost Peanut and the Price of Bringing it Back 28:45

1
Apalachicola Oysters and the Battle for a Florida Bay 28:32

1
The Kitchen Electric: Selling Power to Rural America 25:32

1
Bala’s Bistro: Where Mali Meets Memphis 25:10

1
Minnie Bell’s Feeds the Fillmore’s Soul 20:27

1
Reel It In: Building Local Markets for Fresh Fish 25:25

1
Ironies and Onion Rings: The Layered Story of the Vidalia Onion 32:04

1
Gravy Recommends the Podcast Sea Change 33:37

1
Flambéed! The Art & Theater of Bananas Foster 23:23

1
How Mi Tierra Shaped Modern San Antonio 27:49

1
The Rise and Fall and Rise of Pitmaster Ed Mitcehll 27:31

1
Wherefore art thou, ROMEO? At Jack’s! 28:38

1
How Pineywoods Cattle Bucks Big Beef 24:34

1
Unshelled: George Washington Carver's Real Legacy 26:56

1
Yock Is for Lovers: Chinese Soul Food in Tidewater Virginia 31:21

1
Catering: Behind the Pipe and Drape 26:49

1
California Dreams and Flossie’s Mississippi Tamales 35:12

1
Gravy Travels Due South 50:40

1
The Miracle of Slaw and Fishes: Louisiana’s Lenten Fish Fries 23:28

1
From Stuckey's to Buc-ee's 28:52

1
Mahalia Jackson's Glori-Fried Chicken 27:53

1
It's Hip To Be a Cube: Maggi Bouillon Unwrapped 26:06

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