Episode 3926

- [Speaker] "Tennessee Crossroads" is brought to you in part by.

- [Narrator 1] Some of our biggest checks have also made the biggest difference. The Tennessee Lottery, proud to have raised more than $7.5 billion for education. Now that's some game changing, life changing fun.

- [Narrator 2] Discover Tennessee Trails & Byways, where adventure, cuisine, and history come together. With 16 scenic driving trails, you can discover why Tennessee sounds perfect. Trips can be planned at tnvacation.com.

- [Narrator 3] Middle Tennessee State University College of Liberal Arts helps students explore the world, engage minds, enrich lives, and earn a living. More at mtsu.edu/cla.

- [Ketch] This week we'll visit a deli that's near and dear to the heart of every Tennessee Vols fan. We'll groove to the sounds of Memphis soul music, then indulge in a little soul food right here in Music City. Sounds like a tasty show. Howdy, I'm Ketch Secor welcoming you to "Tennessee Crossroads." Ask any Tennessee alum, student or fan, and we bet they've tried this Knoxville staple. It's an extra special sandwich made of deli meat and cheese, great bread and a bit of steam. Let's just say visiting Gus's Good Times Deli was one tasty assignment for Laura Faber and our Crossroads crew.

- [Aaron] There's your Italian sub, sir. Thank you. Where you from, man?

- Wisconsin.

- Welcome. You go to school here? Reuben, an Italian for here.

- First time here.

- Okay, where you guys from?

- Memphis.

- Welcome. You guys on a college tour?

- Yeah.

- Sweet. We are known for the Steam deli sandwiches. Yes, sir. World famous.

- Yeah, how long has it been around?

- 1981.

- [Laura] Just off the strip in Knoxville on any given day at nearly any time, you'll find owner Aaron Hale behind the counter feeding generations of customers.

- We are at world famous Gus's Good Times Deli.

- [Laura] Gus opened Gus's in 1981. Aaron started working here when he was 19 years old.

- [Aaron] We make really good food. We work really hard and then we got a very loyal customer base that people really support us and love us. There's kids in school now that I used to make food for, their mom and dad or dad or mom or whichever when they were kids here then.

- [Laura] A fire in 1994 nearly burned the place to the ground. They kept every damaged photo they could, put them back up on the rebuilt walls and expanded the space. Aaron took over in 2001 and has been at it ever since.

- [Aaron] I loved doing it. I love Gus and Rose. I wanted everything to be the same. They wanted everything to be the same. It's a real family atmosphere and environment and I kind of grew up here and I didn't want anything to change. That's the only thing on campus that hasn't changed.

- [Laura] The walls are like a Tennessee Hall of Fame, from athletes like Peyton Manning, Drew Holcomb, Kirk Herbstreit, even Garth Brooks. Gus's has been on ESPN's "Game Day."

- [Aaron] The Manning is very, very popular. That's roast beef and smoked cheddar on dark that we've attributed the Peyton. He loves that sandwich. And then there's the Hoagie, the Reuben. We sell a lot of those. The Italian sub. That's what I made the lady from ESPN. She liked it really well.

- [Laura] Gus's offers a variety of good food that UT students love. Chicken fingers, burgers, patty melts, a grilled cheese, but it's those steam sandwiches that bring people in from all over the world.

- [Aaron] Well, we take a piece of bread and then we cut it and we put toppings on it and cheese and meat and we put it in a steamer and melt it all together. Yeah, a lot of people are incredulous to it being good or it's not soggy or it's wet or any of those things. But no, it's none of those things because the bread's made to be a little harder before you put it in the steamer. That way once it's steamed, it's just softer.

- [Aaron] Add a sprinkle of Gus dust on the fries too, and you're in business.

- [Aaron] There aren't very many regional food items that I would say are connected to Knoxville more than the steam sandwich.

- [Laura] Rob Cardiello brought his sons to Knoxville for a campus tour.

- I wanted to bring my kids to something iconic, and so I actually went on ChatGPT and I did a search, what is an iconic place for lunch that I could bring my boys to give them the campus experiment? And this place popped up.

- [Laura] UT sophomore, Gavin Hensley, a Gus regular, brought his friends who've never been.

- [Gavin] Well, I know there's not too many delis around here and this deli is one of the best. We have a few where I'm from in Oak Ridge, but they don't compete.

- I got the Italian sub just as it comes with everything steamed. That's usually what I get at delis in places like this. So I kind of give a comparison and it's... I would say it's the best one, the best one I've had.

- I mean, it's like a vibe. You know, you're just like in this like diner area. It feels like you could like... There's just noise everywhere, so it feels like you're a part of something that's moving and going on.

- [Laura] Since 1981, Gus's has been serving up steam sandwiches in the heart of Rocky Top. In fact, when this building's full, this building is full. Lines are out the door on game day. Do you ever dread game day?

- Never, never. I wish we had one every weekend.

- Really?

- Yeah, yeah. I really look forward to it. I get fired up. Yeah, I mean, they wait in line all day on football games.

- [Laura] In fact, game day is the only day Aaron writes down orders, and that's to help the extra staff who work those weekends.

- That's what rookies do. I'm not a rookie.

- [Laura] Aaron remembers faces, what customers like to eat and believes it's a privilege to do what he does.

- It makes you feel small, you know. Like to think about all the people you've served and how much this place means to other people. As much as it means to me, you know, it means just as much to other people that don't have near the commitment that I do here, you know. And that that matters a lot to me. But as far as like being able to put into words like what that means, I don't know. I mean, it's kind of like why you get up, why you get juiced about game days, all those things, you know. Like I've grown up here since I was a kid, you know. Like I've literally turned into a man while I was working here and that... You know, it's part of who I am.

- [Laura] The recipe is simple, good food at a decent price from a family that's been serving Knoxville for a lifetime.

- [Aaron] Very few places are you gonna go that somebody's gonna make your food that's been doing it for 30, 40 years. There's something about that that matters, you know.

- Hey, thanks, Laura. Well folks, we're joined once again by Vicki Yates as we bring this year's Keep Crossroads Travelin' campaign to an end. And we all know what we need to keep "Crossroads" traveling. You.

- Absolutely. We're in the third and final week of our campaign to keep "Crossroads" traveling in 2026. And we need you to help make it across the finish line. We're looking for 550 pledges at any level. And if we make it, "Crossroads" will remain on the air during our March membership drive. We still have a ways to go to hit our goal, but we know we'll make it with your support. Please call or pledge online. Thank you.

- We know how much this show means to you. Loyal viewers like you have made "Tennessee Crossroads" one of the most watched, locally produced public television shows in the country. We're very proud of that, and we take our commitment to our community very seriously. While not everyone may be able to contribute, the folks that do make this service possible for all. So please make a gift to your community by supporting the effort it takes to bring you the best of Tennessee. Call the number on your screen or pledge anytime online to help us reach our goal.

- Producing a TV show is incredibly expensive, and with the loss of our federal funding, we rely on your help more than ever. We hope you'll choose a pledge level that's right for you and support the Crossroads crew. We also want to tell you about the thank you gifts we have for our loyal fans.

- You can help keep "Crossroads" traveling with a financial gift that is just right for you. At the $60 level or $5 a month, you can show your support with this polyester blend short sleeve T-shirt. For $96 a year or just $8 per month, you'll receive a 12 ounce bag of Traveler's Brew Coffee. It's a whole bean custom blend by Bongo Java that's made exclusively for "Tennessee Crossroads." With a pledge at the $156 level or $13 a month, you can enjoy both the coffee and the T-shirt. Thank you for your loyal support that keeps us on the road.

- We have the best fans and we're proud to bring you "Tennessee Crossroads" each week. "Crossroads" has been on the air for nearly 40 years. During that time, we've done a lot of traveling, but those expenses keep growing and we need to hear from you. So call the number on your screen or visit us online to pitch in. We also wanna let you know about an upcoming event that's become quite popular over the past few years.

- You are invited to Tennessee Crossroads' fourth annual whiskey tasting. Saturday, February 28th, 2026, showcasing some of the best whiskey producers from Tennessee and Kentucky. Each distillery will feature two to three products with many of them hard to find. Tickets are $75 for general admission, or $200 for the VIP package. For details, use your phone to scan the QR code on your screen or go to wnpt.org/events. Thanks for helping to keep "Crossroads" traveling.

- It takes a team to keep "Crossroads" traveling and no team member is more important than you. We're counting on our loyal viewers to get the job done. Help us keep the stories coming in 2026. If you've already pledged, we thank you. If you haven't, there's still time to show your support for "Tennessee Crossroads." Let's take one more look at the thank you gifts we have for your pledge before we wrap up this year's Keep Crossroads Travelin' campaign.

- You can help keep "Crossroads" traveling with a financial gift that is just right for you. At the $60 level or $5 a month, you can show your support with this polyester blend short sleeve T-shirt. For $96 a year or just $8 per month. You'll receive a 12 ounce bag of Traveler's Brew Coffee. It's a whole bean custom blend by Bongo Java that's made exclusively for "Tennessee Crossroads." With a pledge at the $156 level or $13 a month, you can enjoy both the coffee and the T-shirt. Thank you for your loyal support that keeps us on the road.

- Well, Ketch. Where are we headed next?

- Vicki, we're headed west. Tennessee has such a rich musical history and no city plays a more important role in that history than Memphis. Of course, Sun Studios was the birthplace to rock and roll, but Stax Records had soul. Danielle Allen takes us on down memory lane with a visit to the Stax Museum of American Soul Music. ♪ These arms of mine ♪ ♪ They are lonely ♪

- [Danielle] From the unmistakable voice of Otis Redding... ♪ Who is the man ♪ ♪ That would risk his neck for his brother, man ♪ ♪ Shaft ♪ ♪ Can you dig it ♪

- [Danielle] To the undeniable funk of Isaac Hayes. Stax Records played a short but vital role in soul music. What started as a small record company ran by a brother and sister duo in the '50s, grew into a distinctive sound recognized around the world. This was where unknown artists became stars and their songs defined in air. Although it's been decades since the records were recorded, their music plays on.

- Memphis is still an act of vibrant music community. It's everywhere. And so I think that's one of the things that we try to do here at the museum, is not just talk about what's in the past, but also what's happening now too.

- [Danielle] Jeff Kollath is the executive director of the Stax Museum of American Soul Music. It opened in 2003 and sits at the original location of Stax Records. When when visitors go inside, they'll find a collection of more than 2000 artifacts and exhibits outlining the history of soul music.

- [Jeff] Much of what we have on display is permanent. It's a part of our permanent exhibition. It's been here since the museum opened in 2003. But we do change things out occasionally. We get new, because of our small staff size, we're not an active collecting organization nearly as much as we would like to be or should be. Hopefully that will change soon. But we're able to change some things out here and there and put out some new things. But really what we're doing is trying to... With the permanent exhibition, anything we bring in that's new or different is really just further enhancement of the story. Maybe tell the Stax story in a little bit different way. The stack story is so broad, there's so much there. And you know, for what we do in our exhibition here, we do a great job of telling... Not I guess, I wouldn't say one version of the story, but several stories within there. But there are many more to tell.

- [Danielle] Those stories are told through elaborate stage outfits, music awards and pictures that take you back in time. Many of those images highlight how Stax Records broke the mold in music and society.

- Stax is unique for, you know, a lot of reasons but of course, the one that's part of our real core story is that this was an integrated workplace at a time when segregation was rampant here in Memphis, Tennessee and throughout the south. Jim Stewart and Estelle Axton, you know, created... Made a very intentional decision to create Stax Records and to run Stax Records in the way that they did. And they should... They're heroes for that.

- [Danielle] Now if you want to get a visual of the impact of Stax Records, take a stroll down this hallway. This is the Hall of Fame of Records, which represents all the music released from 1957 until 1975. That includes about 280 LPs and 900 singles from performers like Sam and Dave, Rufus Thomas and The Staple Singers. And many of the people on these walls combined different styles of music to create that Stax sound.

- [Jeff] Something that we're all pretty passionate about here is that Memphis music is the genre. There are not genres within Memphis music. Everybody knew everybody. Mostly everybody could play different types of music. Isaac Hayes was as inspired by the Grand Ole Opry as he was by gospel music growing up. I mean, it's a pretty remarkable thing to be able to put all of that together and to create that Memphis sound.

- [Danielle] Speaking of Isaac Hayes, he's one musician you'll see a lot of here. There are several items pertaining to the entertainer, however, one in particular drives a lot of traffic in the museum.

- [Jeff] '72 custom Cadillac peacock blue, 24 karat gold plating and accessories, white fur carpet or faux fur in the interior, which I'm from the north, that would not work in the north, it gets pretty slushy up there. But TV in the front seat, refrigerator and bar in the back. I mean, it's a remarkable piece.

- [Danielle] This unforgettable car is a conversation starter among older visitors who remember seeing it around town. And for students taking their first drive through Stax memory lane, it's one of the many ways the museum engages a younger generation.

- [Jeff] Really diving deep into the biographies of the performers and the people that worked here, it's very impactful. So many of them are kids from South Memphis and we get a lot of school groups that come from the elementary schools, middle schools, and high schools within, you know, five, 10 miles of us. So I think those stories, you know, personal stories really work well. And I think just engaging them in a level that we really haven't done before. We have a new educator that started last year. She has completely revamped our school tour program. We've seen more school tours this year than we ever have before.

- [Danielle] The museum isn't the only one working to get the attention of youngsters.

- I came because I saw a lot of things that I would like for my grandchildren to see. I would like to take pictures and let 'em know how it used to be and what a reel-to-reel is. You know, what a dial tone telephone is, the old stuff. Even those little Coke bottles over there. That's what I wanted them to see. And plus I wanted to like reminisce.

- [Danielle] There's definitely a lot of reminiscing at the Stax Museum, but this is also a historical place that embraces the future. ♪ Squeeze her, don't tease her ♪ ♪ Never leave her ♪ ♪ You've got to love her ♪ ♪ Try a little tenderness ♪

- [Danielle] The museum is part of the Soulsville Foundation, which is a nonprofit organization that enriches the lives of young people through the Stax Music Academy and the Soulsville Charter School. With the work of the museum and the schools, they're keeping the spirit of Stax Records alive one note at a time.

- [Jeff] We want to be just like the record company. We want our doors to be as open as possible and we want people to come in and experience the story. And especially in here in Memphis. It's important... We think it's important that Memphians know this story and be proud of this story 'cause again, it only could have happened here and it only happened.

- I got to go, ya'll. And I don't wanna go.

- Well, thanks, Danielle. Finally we go from soul music to soul food. Cindy Carter found a popular Nashville restaurant a while back that's been serving soothing soul food for decades. It's called Silver Sands Cafe.

- [Cindy] Every day, bright and early.

- [Sophia] I get here about 3:30.

- [Cindy] Sophia Vaughn opens Nashville Silver Sands Cafe to anyone and everyone who loves great soul food, meat and threes or country cooking.

- It's gonna take a minute for them pigs to be ready.

- [Cindy] And as heartily, as Miss Sophia dishes out generous portions of her signature dishes, she also gives her customers a generous side order of love and friendship.

- All right, baby, have a good day. All right, you working today? If this is not what you really, really love, you can't run a restaurant, especially a soul food restaurant. You can't. You have to have love, soul, family, all that inside of you. If you don't have all that, you're not gonna make it. You're not.

- [Cindy] But made it she most certainly has. Sophia's aunt Blanche Sea opened the Silver Sands Cafe in the 1950s and later passed it down to Sophia's mother, Nellie McAdoo. Then Sophia stepped in, but her mother wasn't impressed.

- She took it back before I can get my foot in the door. 'Cause I was being a hot girl, doing my thing, liking the boys. So she took... I'm always honest. She didn't even let me get my foot in the door. She leased it out. She retired. So then when I grew up a little bit, she gave it to me.

- [Cindy] That second chance was all Sophia needed. Her commitment to hard work as well as Sophia's dedication to her family's authentic recipes keep this cafe open.

- [Sophia] 'Cause everything is homemade, everything is fresh. There's no opening up no cans. It's no doing none of that. Everything's fresh. So you have to be up early in the morning. You deal with all kind of customers, all kind of situations. And if you're not mentally there, you won't be able to handle it.

- I need two orders of pancake. One order of eggs scrambled, no cheese, and one order of eggs fried, no cheese.

- [Cindy] The Silver Sands Cafe serves both breakfast and lunch in a serving line filled with soul food favorites.

- [Sophia] It's a country breakfast. Beef liver and gravy. Pork steak. We have pork chops every day. We have fried chicken, in the gravy and out of the gravy, I'll cook you some catfish, some whiting. We also do pancakes, we do omelets, we do eggs any way you want it. I have the regular stuff, bacon, sausage, bologna, country ham, polar sausage, turkey sausage.

- [Cindy] And many of those items are also available for the lunch crowd.

- [Sophia] Like today, we're gonna have like pork steak, oxtails, beef tips, tilapia, catfish, whiting, hog maws, pig feet, beef liver, baked chicken, fried chicken.

- [Cindy] Everything is prepared the way it has been for generations. Seasoned, stirred, chopped or fried.

- Okay, so there's this one skillet. It's a black cast iron skillet and I would not use it for anything else but my liver. I fry my beef liver with it. My aunt used it, my mother used it and now I use it. I'd be crazy if somebody broke my skillet. Don't put no soap on it. You need to wash it the right way. So it's just a seasoned skillet that we passed on from generation to generation.

- Now having never eaten here before, I asked regulars, "What should I get on the menu?" And I had a lot of recommendations. Fried pork chop, cornbread, sweet potatoes, greens. But the one thing everybody recommended was the macaroni and cheese.

- We just like the food.

- [Cindy] Belinda McClin is a Silver Sands regular. She says they call her the turkey lady because she orders so much of it.

- So I've been with Silver Sands, oh my goodness, almost... Ooh, 60 years plus.

- [Cindy] For Belinda and many locals, it's not just the great food that keeps them coming back.

- [Belinda] It's family, it's a community. They've been here, they're part of community. We don't know what they would do if they left.

- [Cindy] At the Silver Sands Cafe, you'll never be a stranger or an outsider. Miss Sophia simply won't allow it.

- [Sophia] How you doing, love? I'm okay, baby.

- [Cindy] She has a genuine interest in her customers, their lives and wellbeing. Many of their pictures are on her wall because for Miss Sophia, they are the souls that make her soul food cafe so very special.

- It's about getting to know people. I love it. That's the best part for me. I love seeing them eat my food and enjoying it.

- Well, thanks, Cindy. Hey, that'll do it for this week. But please check out our website at tennesseecrossroads.org. Download the PBS app and thank you for helping keep "Crossroads" traveling.

- [Speaker] "Tennessee Crossroads" is brought to you in part by.

- [Narrator 1] Students across Tennessee have benefited from over seven and a half billion dollars we've raised for education, providing more than 2 million scholarships and grants. The Tennessee Lottery, game changing, life changing fun.

- [Narrator 2] Discover Tennessee Trails & Byways where adventure, cuisine and history come together. With 16 scenic driving trails, you can discover why Tennessee sounds perfect. Trips can be planned at tnvacation.com.