Gravy Podcast Por Southern Foodways Alliance arte de portada

Gravy

Gravy

De: Southern Foodways Alliance
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Gravy shares stories of the changing American South through the foods we eat. Gravy showcases a South that is constantly evolving, accommodating new immigrants, adopting new traditions, and lovingly maintaining old ones. It uses food as a means to explore all of that, to dig into lesser-known corners of the region, complicate stereotypes, document new dynamics, and give voice to the unsung folk who grow, cook, and serve our daily meals. Arte Ciencias Sociales Comida y Vino
Episodios
  • What's Brewing in Memphis?

    What's Brewing in Memphis?
    Jul 16 2025
    In “What's Brewing in Memphis?” Gravy producer and reporter Brandi Hunter takes listeners to Memphis to explore what it takes to build a craft beer brand in an industry where less than one percent of breweries are Black-owned, and systemic barriers continue to limit growth. Kelvin Kolheim, founder of Beale Street Brewing Company, is at the center of this episode. A former economic development executive for Memphis, Kolheim turned his hobby into a full-time business. The nuanced craft beer flavors he creates, such as King’s Ransom and Space Age Sippin’, reflect the city’s culture and complexity. Like many independent brewers in the U.S., Kolheim is navigating the economic challenges of owning and growing a business. He relies on contract brewing to produce his beer as he works toward opening his own production facility. Kevin Asato, executive director of the National Black Brewers Association (NB2A), and beer journalist Dennis Malcolm Byron, better known by his pseudonym, Ale Sharpton, provide industry and historical context for Kolheim’s experience. Byron elaborates on findings from the 2024 State of the Black Brewers report, a survey of Black brewers nationwide. He details how Black brewers face more structural obstacles than their white counterparts, including limited access to capital, equipment, and reliable distributor partnerships. Byron and Asato also discuss the through-line from centuries of racial bias to today’s lack of representation, starting with enslaved African brewers and continuing through targeted malt liquor marketing in the 1980s and 1990s. Despite challenges, Kolheim has brought a new perspective and attention to Memphis’ craft beer scene. His beer is a fast-selling local brand with plans to expand. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    17 m
  • There’s No Business Like Hansen’s Sno Bliz-ness

    There’s No Business Like Hansen’s Sno Bliz-ness
    Jul 2 2025
    In “There’s No Business Like Hansen’s Sno Bliz-ness,” Gravy producer Eve Troeh takes us to New Orleans, home of the sno-ball. In the South you need strategies to beat the summer heat, and ice plays a big role. Street vendors used to shave big blocks of ice by hand and add flavored syrup—a treat that became known as a sno-ball in the Big Easy. In the late 1930s, a local man, Ernest Hansen, invented a machine that changed the tradition. Sharp blades, encased in metal, turned chunks of ice into the most fluffy, fine “snow,” and he eventually patented this creation. While he kept his day job in New Orleans’ manufacturing industry, Ernest’s wife Mary ran with her husband’s invention. She set up shop at home and eventually moved to a brick-and-mortar, dishing up fresh “snow” and dousing them with signature flavored syrups that she made by hand. They called their place Hansen’s Sno-Bliz. Remarkably, Ernest’s hand-built machines are still in use today, as are many of Mary’s syrup recipes, and the business continues to cool off customers with some “air-conditioning for your tummy.” Hansen’s Sno-Bliz is now in its 86th year, with Ernest and Mary’s granddaughter, Ashley Hansen, at the helm. Ashley’s was a long and loving journey to take on the business. She learned alongside her grandparents day by day. In a city that practically worships tradition, she honors her family and her customers by maintaining not just the original 1930s ice-shaving mechanics and syrup recipes, but also by cultivating the warm hospitality her grandparents always extended to anyone who entered. The cinder block corner shop on New Orleans’ Tchoupitoulas Street looks humble, but you’ll always find a line of customers stretching outside around the corner. The James Beard Foundation even bestowed Hansen’s with its prestigious title of American Classic. New Orleanians from every corner of the city—and visitors from all around the world—eagerly line up to experience Hansen’s, and form an of-the-moment community with each other as they choose their flavors and chat. In this cool edition of Gravy, Ashley Hansen shares the history, innovation, and spirit of her family’s institution, always with Hansen’s Sno-Bliz motto in mind: “There are no shortcuts to quality.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    23 m
  • From Stuckey's to Buc-ee's

    From Stuckey's to Buc-ee's
    Jun 18 2025
    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 tattooed arms of its most loyal customers. Founded as a small-town gas station, today it boasts 47 locations across the South known for massive floor spaces brimming with souvenirs, fudge, BBQ stations, cases of jerky, and walls of branded snacks like “beaver nuggets.” Yet unlike other treasured Lone Star enterprises like Whataburger, Blue Bell, or the grocery chain H-E-B, Buc-ee’s ascendance has been a fast, recent phenomenon. They are also far from the first convenience chain to endear themselves to travelers through reliably clean restrooms, kitschy gifts and road food. In fact, one could argue they stand on the shoulders of the Georgia-born Stuckey’s, whose nutty treats sparked a mid-century rest stop empire. Today, both brands find themselves at a crossroads. Buc-ee’s is rapidly expanding, while following years of corporate mismanagement and decline, Stuckey’s is rebuilding itself one pecan log roll at a time. In this episode we’ll ride shotgun with Gravy producer Evan Stern as he explores how food has shaped these companies' brand identities, how they’re grappling with change, and what their stories reveal about the past, present, and future of snacking on the American road. Along the way, we’ll step inside a Buc-ee’s that sprawls over 65,000 square feet, get to know some devoted customers, and hear from journalist Eric Benson, who argues this chain has come to symbolize 21st-century Texas. We’ll also meet Stephanie Stuckey, who, following a career in politics and environmental law, now serves as the chair of Stuckey’s. She shares her grandfather’s journey from pecan broker to gas station magnate, how she envisions Stuckey’s evolving, and why the road trip remains ingrained in the company’s DNA. The resulting piece is a profile of two brands that have shaped and continue to make American highways a “corridor of consumption.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    26 m
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