From the first moments of the premiere of “TrueSouth,” John T. Edge knew he and his team knew they had something special on their hands.
The pilot, which was released on September 18, 2018, on SEC Network, was all about Birmingham, from Vulcan atop Red Mountain to Tim Hontzas cooking in the kitchen of his Homewood restaurant, Johnny’s. That episode was the start of a journey of nearly 40 episodes of the show, which debuts its ninth season Tuesday, Sept. 15.
“I am kind of dumbfounded that we are at Season 9,” said Edge, a James Beard Award-winning food writer who has hosted “TrueSouth” from the start. “We knew by the reaction of that very first show that we had tapped into something important, but we didn’t realize the scope of that yet.”
Bunyan’s Bar-B-Q has been a favorite in Florence, Ala., ever since John Bunyan Cole opened his barbecue joint in 1972.(Bob Carlton/bcarlton@al.com)
Over the seasons, Edge and the “TrueSouth” team have traveled across the Southeast, exploring its different foods and cultures across the region. In Alabama, “TrueSouth” has visited places like Jasper, the Black Belt, Mobile and Montgomery.
“We just wanted to reflect an honest portrayal back itself,” he said.
In the newest episode of the series, Edge traveled to the Shoals area in north Alabama, visiting Muscle Shoals, Florence, Tuscumbia and Sheffield.
Over the years, Edge has visited the Shoals many times, a feeling he calls “stepping into a conversation that never waned.” But going back for the show, Edge and his crew decided to do more work to find other parts of the Shoals that many outsiders may not think of.
“TrueSouth” does explore some of the Shoals’ hits. Yes, the episode features music recorded by session musicians at the iconic FAME Studios.
“Their names are too rarely in the spotlight, but by way of having them in the show, we wanted to put them front and center,” he said.
Trowbridge’s in Florence is known for a classic American cafe vibe, and the menu over the bar drives it home.Lawrence Specker | LSpecker@AL.com
Yes, Edge visits the Shoals delicacy that is Trowbridge’s Ice Cream & Sandwich Shop.
“Having a milkshake there, you understand the devotion to that place,” he said.
And yes, Edge had a slawdog from Bunyan’s Bar-B-Que.
“That slawdog is in the pantheon for me,” he said.
But the team wanted to delve deeper.
Edge did his homework, reading Thomas Hager’s “Electric City: The Lost History of Ford and Edison’s American Utopia” and other notes on the area, but says much of what he learned about the Shoals came from spending time wandering along the Tennessee River, which Native Americans called “The Singing River.” Part of it was meeting Elaine Goodloe, head chef at George’s Steak Pit in Sheffield.
Elaine Goodloe, who started working at George’s Steak Pit in Sheffield, Ala., when she was 15, is the head chef at the nearly 70-year-old restaurant.Bob Carlton
“To meet her is to meet a superstar,” Edge said.
Along the way, Edge set out to make sure the Shoals episode focused less on food and more on the people who stayed to create community.
“The food is only as good as the people,” Edge said. “It’s the people who worked the hardest and who care the most, who understand the role of the community to bind it together. Those are the people we turn our cameras toward.”
Throughout filming and production, Edge and the crew realized there was so much good material about the Shoals, far more than a 30-minute episode could give justice to.
The iconic sign welcoming folks to Muscle Shoals.Bluefoot Entertainment
“There is so much cultural richness here,” he said.
Coming up on nearly 10 years of “TrueSouth,” Edge is proud of how the show has found an audience beyond just sports fans, but those who have both a genuine curiosity and love for the South.
“People who watch ‘TrueSouth’ recognize that these restaurants we profile are like clubhouses where they gather for community,” he said. “To gather in a backyard to watch a game on TV on a big screen, drinking beer and eating barbecue, we recognize that people gather to celebrate their common bond. That’s what football and these restaurants remind them of.”
“TrueSouth” will debut its ninth season Tuesday, Sept. 15, at 7 p.m.
Dining and Cooking