These people are guardians of the past: They explore kitchens, living rooms and attics, tracking down the recipes, stories and artifacts that tell us who we are and where we came from. Featuring David Ewing and Bradley Hanson and Jennifer Justus.

This episode was produced by Emily Siner; engineered by Carl Peterson and Cameron Adkins; and edited by Mack Linebaugh, Blake Farmer and Anita Bugg. Music is by Blue Dot Sessions and by Dave Coleman and Justin Schipper.

Guest Bios:

Jennifer Justus is the author of Nashville Eats and The Food Lovers’ Guide to Nashville. She worked as food culture reporter at The Tennessean for several years before embarking on a freelance career that led to stories in TIME, Southern Living, Imbibe and more. Jennifer’s work has appeared in Cornbread Nation: The Best of Southern Food Writing, and she also co-founded Dirty Pages, a recipe storytelling project at the Southern Food and Beverage Museum in New Orleans.

Bradley Hanson is a folklorist, writer and documentarian whose work centers on cultural heritage and memory in the American South. As an ethnomusicologist, he has conducted extensive field research on regional music and traditions in Appalachian communities in East Tennessee. In 2015, Bradley joined the Tennessee Arts Commission as Director of Folklife, and he has a forthcoming book about his work, Tuned Our Way: Music, Memory, and Heritage in East Tennessee.

David Ewing is a historian, lawyer and ninth-generation Nashvillian who is related to slaves of President Andrew Jackson. He has one of the largest private collections of Nashville memorabilia, some of which is on display at the Ryman and the Parthenon. He frequently speaks on Nashville history, especially on the subjects of the Tennessee Centennial Exposition, Women’s Suffrage, Prohibition and the Civil Rights Era in Nashville. David currently is a fellow at Montgomery Bell Academy and runs an Instagram account about Nashville’s history.