The seventh episode of Emmy Award-winning TrueSouth Presented by YellaWood travels to Little Rock, Ark. for Episode 4 on Tuesday, Oct. 8 at 8 p.m. ET. The crew joins Jordan Narvaez – co-owner of four businesses in the southwest corner of the capital city, as he shows them the world of Little Rock. 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.
All episodes of TrueSouth are available on demand on SEC Network+ and ESPN+ immediately upon airing.
Episode Summary
Narvaez welcomes the crew into his world, which revolves around Baseline Road, the Camino Real of Little Rock. He and his brother Raul Narvaez own four business in town, including El Super Pollo, a western wear store and two grocery stores. Cooks at El Super Pollo work beneath a tent, in front of the western wear store, turning out whole chickens, kissed by flames and brightened by a spice mix that carries flavor all the way to the bone and gives the birds a neon-orange color.
Like everyone the crew met there, Jordan works multiple jobs, always hustling, forever building. His late father inspires him. The elder Raoul Narvaez was a master woodworker, a man of big ideas, born in the Mexican state of San Luis Potosí. Jordan, born in Houston, Texas, now carries forward what his father began, weaving his father’s Chevy pickup through Little Rock traffic, jockeying back and forth to check up on the family businesses.
Our story is anchored by:
- LaVaquera – Throughout the journey with Jordan Narvaez, he introduces the crew to other Little Rock business owners he admires. At LaVaquera, Sanjuana Padron Briones and Miguel Torres Martinez, married for 33 years, share their love story. We eat Enchiladas Potosinas, made by Sanjuana, the tortillas blushed red from chilis and showing her fingerprints. Florentino Guevara of Tino’s Ice Cream churns the old-fashioned way in a wooden bucket – Jordan knows him, too. Down the road at La Culpable, a five-piece band plays around back and a taquero works a pork trompo, topped with a pineapple.
- Plaza Frida – Following Jordan, we travel to Plaza Frida, where young girls and their parents shop for quinceañera dresses. An invitation to witness the Ramos family’s quinceañera follows. And so do directions to what Jordan calls a rancho, out in the country beyond Little Rock, where we watch vaqueros wrestle down steers and race against the clock to rope wild horses. As the sun sets on our time in Little Rock a brass band plays and the hard-working people here begin to plan the week ahead.
Season Summary
Season seven began August 27 in Oklahoma City, OK, exploring the oil and cattle work that puts money in pockets and ribeyes on tables. To understand Austin, Texas, we focused on the east side of town, eating Tex-Mex migas and Tex-Egyptian ribs with pomegranate. Beginning in Lexington, we explored the Whole Hog Triangle of Tennessee to eat middlin meat doused with vinegar sauce. Episodes premier every other Tuesday, ending November 19. Up next, we dive into coal mining and its legacies in Jasper AL, drive the Upstate of South Carolina to eat chilidogs with short story writer George Singleton, and close the season with our annual behind the scenes road trip.
Advance press screeners of TrueSouth: Season Seven, Episode Three are available upon request: [emailprotected].
About TrueSouth
TrueSouth is an Emmy Award-winning 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 seventh 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 Oklahoma City, Austin, Texas, Lexington & Parsons, Tenn., Spartanburg & Abbeville, S.C., Jasper, Ala., Little Rock, Ark., and a special behind-the-scenes finale to finish out season 7. Seasons 1-6 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. The 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 asSEC Nation,Marty & McGee, Out Of Pocket, Read & ReactandRally Cap, daily news and information withThe Paul Finebaum ShowandSEC Now, original content such as the Emmy Award-winningTrueSouth,SEC StoriedandSEC 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 andSECNetwork.com. Follow SEC Network on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and Twitter/X.
Tags
TrueSouth
