SEC Network’s TrueSouth Presented by YellaWood Sails on to St. Augustine on Tuesday, Nov. 7

The sixth season of the critically acclaimed TrueSouth Presented by YellaWood boats along to St. Augustine, Fla. on Tuesday, Nov. 7 at 7 p.m. ET. The series revolves around two food stories told from one place, which TrueSouth sets in conversation to make larger points about Southern beliefs and identities.

New this year, select episodes of TrueSouth are available on ESPN College Football’s YouTube channel, with all new episodes available on demand on SEC Network+ and ESPN+ immediately upon airing.

Episode Summary
In search of Old Florida, we walk the ice boxes at Kyle’s Seafood to survey the catch and eat smoked mullet on the bed of a pickup. We drink beer and talk about home at a beach bar with local author C.H. Hooks. And we line up for a table at O’Steen’s Restaurant to dunk fried shrimp in a datil pepper sauce that burns bright like a beach sunset.

Traveling this 16th century city, we explore the tensions between past and future. The shrimp boats that worked the Atlantic Ocean are mostly gone. Tourists drive the economy. Now, another crop is on the rise. Datil peppers, long associated with Menorcan people, are the next generation symbol of this place. We learn this and more on a visit with Scott Murray and Troy Main of Mayhem Datil Pepper Farms. Music for this episode comes from Daryl Hance, onetime guitarist for J.J. Grey and Mofro, who plays his own brand of psychedelic rock-and-soul.

Two spots anchor our story:

• Kyle’s Seafood – Cinderblock fish markets like this one are extensions of the docks, where regulars survey the local catch and tourists buy readymade suppers from the coolers. Owner Mike Kyle makes breakfast each morning for his crew and cooks Menorcan clam chowder from scratch. Out back, manager Cullen Wilson, who has cut fish here since he was 18, smokes mullet over oak and smears the sweet fish with a datil pepper sauce that carries a sneaky heat.
• Osteen’s Restaurant – Open since 1965, this is one of the great shrimp houses of the South. Three friends – Timmy Colee, Bobby Fales and John Cleary – all with deep roots in this restaurant and this city, now run this spot, while upholding the standards of excellence that were handed down to them. Butterflied by hand, rolled in cracker meal, cooked until they shade from blonde toward brown, fried shrimp arrive at table here with their tails pointing up, like sails in the wind. Each hush puppy is formed by hand, as cooks dip a spoon into batter and wait for the dough to float.

Season Summary
Season six began Oct. 10 in Hot Springs, Ark. in the Ouachita Mountains, as viewers fell in love with this odd and beautiful spa town and its cast of characters. On Oct. 24, TrueSouth drove the Black Belt of Alabama, to eat barbecue pig tails and make sense of what art makes possible. Dublin, Ga., up Nov. 21, will deliver tiny burgers and soul food and a look at what faith makes possible. Episode five, a behind-the-scenes road trip, returns Tuesday, Dec. 5, with stops for, among other eats, roasted oysters in Savannah, Ga.; ribeyes in Scott, Miss.; and gorditas in Little Rock, Ark.

Advance press screeners of TrueSouth: Season Six, Episode Three are available upon request: Amanda.D.Brooks@espn.com

About TrueSouth
TrueSouth is a limited series on Southern food and culture, airing biweekly on SEC Network. Four-time James Beard Award winner John T. Edge writes and hosts the show, which is executive produced by two-time New York Times best-selling author, ESPN senior writer Wright Thompson, and produced by Bluefoot Entertainment.

The series, now in its sixth season, revolves around two food stories told from one place, which TrueSouth sets in conversation to make larger points about Southern beliefs and identities. This season’s featured places are Hot Springs, Ark., The Black Belt, Ala., St. Augustine, Fla., Dublin, Ga., and a special behind-the-scenes finale to finish out season six. Seasons 1-5 of TrueSouth are available in their entirety on ESPN+.

Music plays an integral role in TrueSouth’s storytelling via on-screen performances and on-screen credits. TrueSouth playlist on Spotify shares the full soundtrack and score of every season of TrueSouth.

About SEC Network
The Southeastern Conference and ESPN launched SEC Network on August 14, 2014. The network televises hundreds of games across the SEC’s 21 sports annually. Programming includes in-depth analysis and storytelling in studio shows such as SEC Nation, Marty & McGee, Out Of Pocket, Read & React and Rally Cap, daily news and information with The Paul Finebaum Show and SEC Now, original content such as TrueSouth, SEC Storied and SEC Inside, and more. Hundreds of additional live events are available for streaming exclusively on SEC Network’s digital companion, SEC Network+, via the ESPN App and SECNetwork.com. Follow SEC Network on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and Twitter/X.

 Amanda Brooks