With so many incredible food shows available today, it can be overwhelming to decide which one you’ll binge-watch next—but we’re hoping our shortlist of great Southern food shows either currently available or coming your way this fall will help you decide. We plan on devouring each of them!
Cajun Aces (Food Network)
We know we’ve already talked about our love for Chefs Sam and Cody Carroll and their Food Network show Cajun Aces, but we just can’t say it enough: You need to watch this show.
Admittedly, with only a few episodes left in the season, we’re trying hard not to think about another great run of Cajun Aces coming to an end. So far this season, Sam and Cody have made us laugh and smile with their banter as well as their love for each other and what they do. Plus, adding a few new recipes to our repertoire doesn’t hurt!
Tune in on Saturday, September 22, at 11 a.m. CT for an episode dedicated to cooking with cast iron and again on Saturday, September 29, for the final episode all about tailgating the Cajun Aces’ way.
TrueSouth (SEC Network)
One of the most anticipated shows on our watch-list this fall is TrueSouth. Friends John T. Edge and Wright Thompson live eight blocks away from each other in Oxford, Mississippi and together are respectively the writer/host and executive producer of the show. John T. is the director of the Southern Foodways Alliance, while Wright is an ESPN writer. Their unique collaboration promises an honest approach to the complex Southern table and the stories of those preparing the food upon it.
On the show’s trailer, John T. says, “The South is an idea long debated. . . . This is a conversation about home, an invitation to the table stacked high with spare ribs and collards, with cornbread and tortillas.”
TrueSouth is a short series comprised of four episodes, each one featuring two restaurants within the same city and how they collectively represent the place they call home, much like John T. and Wright themselves.
So far, we know that the show will feature Lucky Palace and Herby-K’s in Shreveport, but we can’t wait to find out what other cities and restaurants will be featured on the series.
TrueSouth debuts on Tuesday, September 18, at 7 p.m. ET/6 p.m. CT, exclusively on the SEC Network.
TrueSouth ~ SEC Network John T. Edge from Bluefoot Entertainment, Inc. on Vimeo.
NOURISH (PBS Digital Studios/Louisiana Public Broadcasting)
Another great show that we’re savoring right now is NOURISH, which is described as “food for your mind, body, and soul.” The show is hosted by Dr. Howard Conyers, a rocket scientist and whole hog barbecue pit master with a passion for discovering how food influences a region like the American South. Howard was raised in South Carolina on the traditions of barbecue and farm-to-table eating, but he currently lives in New Orleans.
The beauty of this show is its ease of accessibility: It’s an entirely web-based series. Episodes can be watched on YouTube and Facebook Watch, each about 10 minutes long. So far, episodes have featured the art of barbecue with James Beard Award-winning pit master Chef Rodney Scott and Lowcountry homecoming celebrations with Chef B.J. Dennis.
But the show comes even closer to home for those of us in the Bayou State. Howard visits the annual Cochon de Lait Festival in Mansura and also sits down at the table with living legend Chef Leah Chase to talk gumbo. Even the Creole Tomato Festival gets mentioned while Howard hangs out with John Coykendall, seed saver and tomato expert.
New episodes are released every two weeks, so you have plenty of time to catch up while you wait for the next one!
Kitchen Takeover (Food Network)
Another favorite chef of ours is also appearing on a Food Network special called Kitchen Takeover. Isaac Toups, owner of Toups Meatery and Toups South in New Orleans, will be on location in Burbank, California, for the network special episode called “Hill Stress Cafe.”
During the show, Isaac will take over Hill Street Cafe, a struggling family diner riddled with a dated style and menu. His mission? Save the diner. Not only will Isaac develop a new menu for the café, but he’ll also revamp the back of house while enforcing a cease-fire on a ruinous sibling rivalry.
Food Network’s Kitchen Takeover premieres on Sunday, September 23, at 10 p.m. ET/9 p.m. CT. Additional showings on Monday, September 24 at 1 a.m. ET/12 a.m. CT and Saturday, September 29 at 5 p.m. ET/4 p.m. CT.
