On the afternoon of March 23, Lighthouse Knoxville was filled with a low murmur of voices, the gentle clatter of chaffing dishes, and the occasional chime of the string band tuning up. Soon, guests began to arrive, filling the airy space and the spotless white tables. Top Chefs had begun.

Those who had arrived quickly got to work. Guests were asked to sample each of the 24 dishes and to award what they tasted with a rating between 1 and 5. Several rooms filled with voices as everyone consulted with their neighbors or concentrated on their plates, choosing the scores they would award to help determine which of the 12 chefs present would earn the title of Top Chef for 2013.

Proceeds from the ticket sales this year went to support Knox Area Rescue Ministries (KARM), an organization dedicated to serving the needs of Knoxville’s homeless population. The organization founded in 1960 now serves about 1,000 meals each day and houses 400 people every night.

RESULTS

Entrée:

1st: Ed Bates - Puleo’s Grille

Hickory smoked, pan-seared salmon with cajun cheese grit, shredded zucchini and squash, and honey champagne reduction 

2nd: Mario Navarro - Meksiko 

Blackened fish tacos with pineapple and Pacific special sauce

3rd: Deron Little - Seasons

Dill-scented seared Chilean sea bass on a pickled cucumber relish with caramelized leeks and tomato coulis 

Dessert: 

1st: Deron Little - Seasons 

White chocolate crème caramel crowned with cinnamon vanilla Chantilly cream and  fresh raspberries

2nd: Ed Bates - Puleo’s Grille

Blackberry cheesecake with chocolate-coated pretzels, applewood salted bacon, cherry sauce reduction, sweet cream, and caramel

3rd: Christopher Stallard - Bistro By the Tracks

Lemon meringue “pie” with earl grey tea, honey, and blueberries 

—–

Trey Benefield lifted off from a Knoxville runway on January 23, 2013 to take up residence on his new home for the next year, his boat Blue Moon, which was anchored in Simpson Bay off the island of St. Maarten in the northeastern Caribbean. His daughter, Amy, joined him a week later—and their grand adventure had begun.

But the next few weeks were going to be far from easy. 

On a previous visit to the island to inspect his newly purchased boat, Trey had commissioned local mechanics and workers to prepare the boat for its journey across the open ocean. But though Blue Moon was more-or-less seaworthy when the Benefields came aboard, able to sail around the bay and even from island to island within the Leeward Islands around St. Maarten, she was far from being a truly comfortable floating home. In fact, out of the approximately six weeks of work that was supposed to have been done before Trey and Amy arrived to begin their trip, only about one day’s worth had been accomplished. 

“We failed to realize that ‘island time’ referred not only to Jimmy Buffett-style vacationers, but to working professionals as well,” jokes Amy. 

Many Hands

The Caribbean island of St. Maarten, where Blue Moon was anchored, is known as The Friendly Island. Though comprising an area of only about 54 square miles, it is divided between French and Dutch ownership and has a population close to 78,000 persons. At this time of year, the temperature hovers in the mid-80s during the day, dropping to the mid-to-low 70s at night, but the humidity is high, and scattered showers are common. 

The temperate weather was accompanied by no sense of hurry on the part of those working on the Benefields’ boat. “It might have been idealistic to think I could drop down out of the sky onto an island known for a relaxed lifestyle and assemble a team of highly motivated technicians during their busy season,” admits Trey. Instead of enjoying their time on the island, Trey and Amy were forced to stay on board and monitor the work from morning until evening for most of their 55-day stay. Frustratingly, their helpers consistently underestimated the time it would take to accomplish their many tasks, promising projects would be finished in hours that ultimately took days to complete. “I’ve been consumed by the boat project. It turned out to be much more difficult than I ever could have imagined,” says Trey.

The repairs needed before Blue Moon could be entrusted to the open ocean were extensive, including a new mast and rigging, new hatches, repair to the engine and autopilot, a new refrigerator, repairs to the hull and fiberglass, and a thousand other details. 

Nearly every piece of equipment was under one or both of their beds, so each day also ended with cleanup before the exhausted Benefields could fall into bed. Of course, the repairs also necessitated the workers being in their private space day in and day out. “They are all very nice. They bring tools. They create sawdust, garbage, and dirt of random origins. We love them. We are over them!” says Trey. 

The last piece of the puzzle needed before they could take Blue Moon out to sea was installing the water maker and pump, a process that exemplifies the difficulties Trey and Amy faced in getting the Blue Moon ready to sail. First, they needed to have all of the necessary parts. “We had to have a bracket made by a welder to mount the pump on the motor,” says Trey. “There are two welders on the island—and it took 11 days to get a part that takes 10 minutes to make!”

Once all the parts were in hand, the system had to be installed. “I could probably assemble the entire system in my garage in an afternoon,” says Trey, but in the boat, space is limited and often curved instead of running at right angles as it would in a landlocked structure. Once in place, the system simply sucks water up from the ocean, pumps it through a filter, then forces the water through a membrane at high pressure to remove all of the salt, as well as any contaminants that might be present. The double-filtered water is safe to drink and bathe in. 

“My dad and I, so far, have refrained from pushing each other into the poop water of the Simpson Bay Lagoon (there’s no pump-out station, so everyone just flushes their toilets straight into the water),” laughs Amy. Any concerns the two had about their ability to get along on this trip has been tested and re-tested by the long days of work on the island—and the father and daughter are still going strong. 

Fun and Games

But the beginning of this great adventure hasn’t been all work and no play. 

In late January, Trey took a break from boating to run a 13-mile race around the island. The announcements were made in French, leaving Trey to guess from his companions’ expressions that they had a challenging road ahead. “Every beach has a different combination of sand and rocks. Some beaches have round rocks the size of your toes. Some have sand, mixed with rocks and trash. Some have pebbles the size of your head, and the eastern beaches have volcanic rock with razor sharp texture,” he recalls. 

The route was marked with orange arrows spray-painted on the ground—and certainly not impossible to miss. Fortunately, the universal shout of “Yo!” enabled Trey to help some other runners to keep on track, and they returned the favor. The race terminated on a sandy beach in the mid-morning, where breakfast was provided.

Trey has also found the opportunity to use his mountain bike on St. Maarten. The trails weren’t quite was he was used to—“When I found a gate made out of an old palette that was held closed by a bicycle inner tube, I knew I was in the right place,” says Trey. Goats and cows shared the trail, and boulders were surmounted with wobbly, 15-inch-wide bridges made of odds and ends. Still, he made it back to the boat without too many cuts and bruises. 

On a different afternoon, Trey and Amy cut out of their work early and took the boat’s small dinghy out into the bay to try some snorkeling in the crystal-clear waters of Simpson Bay on the Dutch side of the island. Though the fish were in somewhat short supply that afternoon, they had a close encounter with a large sea turtle and explored a small reef. 

Trey and Amy have also made plenty of friends on the island, despite the language barriers. They’ve had drinks with their French-Canadian neighbors from across the dock, eaten French pastries with their Dutch friend Oliver, and been asked over for dinner by the people working on their boat. 

These friends and helpers have also introduced the pair to a new sport: surf skiing. The sport uses a lightweight, narrow kayak to surf the waves around the island. The design of the vessel helps it cut through big waves, and an experienced paddler can move very quickly. The adventure-loving Benefields took to this new experience like fish to water—but their main focus was still on getting their boat ready to set sail. 

Nor could they test their floating home’s true seaworthiness without taking her out for a few sailing expeditions. Sailing from island to island was a helpful way to gauge their progress, but to really put Blue Moon through her paces, the Benefields let their competitive streak set the stakes. 

On Your Mark

Both Trey and Amy enjoy sailing, but Amy’s particular specialty is racing sailboats. When she discovered that one of the biggest yacht races in the Caribbean was taking place during the Benefields’ stay on St. Maarten—and the race was finishing up on her birthday—she knew she had to participate. 

The Heineken Regatta, as the race is known, couldn’t be accomplished, however, with only the two of them on board. So Jamie Northcutt, Luke Kindervater, Vlasta Kunc, and Ryan Worth of the Concord Yacht Club in Farragut, Tennessee, flew down to join Trey and Amy and serve as crew on their floating—and now racing—home.

The race began on February 28 and lasted for four days. Though the event as a whole had more than 300 competitors, the Blue Moon’s intrepid crew entered in the live-aboard class, meant for those racing the boat that they also live on. Some of the other competitors included stripped down sail-boats with nothing aboard except the bare essentials, as well as enormous yachts some four or five times the size of the Benefields’ boat. “At one point, I was at the helm, totally focused on the sail trim and the traffic in front of me. I noticed the whole crew looking behind me. I turned around to see an eighty-foot mega yacht less than ten feet off my stern and closing fast,” says Trey. Fortunately, the yacht changed course and passed the Blue Moon without incident. 

At the end of the race, the Benefield crew received ninth place in their class, finishing in the middle of the contestants. They were also able to participate in some of the concerts and parties that took place on the island during the regatta, giving the whole region an atmosphere “very similar to Mardi Gras,” as Amy puts it. Most importantly, the Blue Moon held together and brought the whole crew safely through the race, proving that she was almost ready to leave her island home behind at last. 

Full Speed Ahead

On March 27, the Benefields set out for open water. They will be sailing for between a week and 10 days until they reach the coast of Panama, where a new adventure will begin: gaining a place in the queue to pass through the 48-mile Panama Canal. They already have an agent in place, who is working to get them a date for the passage. From there, they might sail up the coast of Mexico to Cabo, or they may head straight for the Hawaiian Islands. 

 “Any of a thousand things can affect our schedule or route,” says Trey. “We absolutely need to sail in the available weather windows. We might have to wait a week or more for a good departure. Also, an El Niño year could substantially affect our plans. Or, we could just change our minds about something.” 

But for now, it’s just good to have the wind at their backs.  

No matter where a company is founded—whether here in Knoxville or on the other side of the nation—when revenues and profits expand, new locations for plants and distribution centers become necessary. Knoxville, located at the intersection of major north-south and east-west interstate highways, has long been a transportation hub not only for East Tennessee, but for much of the southeastern United States. 

But there’s more to Knoxville than just the location and convenience to the highways. The companies that decide to make Knoxville home to their expanding businesses name the people, the community (both business and personal), and the proximity to the Smoky Mountains as some of the most compelling reasons for their choice. In the third installment of our series about the under-sung businesses that keep Knoxville strong, we look at Green Mountain Coffee and Monterey Mushrooms—founded in Waitsfield, Vermont, and Royal Oaks, California, respectively—and re-live the journeys through the American marketplace that brought the companies to rest in our great city. 

Green Mountain Coffee,  headquartered in Waitsfield, Vermont, was founded in 1981. Originally a string of coffee shops, the company went public in 1993, changing its focus from service to production and distribution. Currently, Green Mountain Coffee and its subsidiaries sell 27 brands and 200 varieties of specialty whole bean and ground coffees, as well as cocoa, teas, and other beverages. In the past few years, the success of the company has received awards and accolades from Forbes magazine and McDonald’s, along with numerous economic development and humanitarian organizations. The company prides itself on being a conscientious producer, aiding and working with resource communities in Central and South America, Western Africa, and Southeast Asia, as well as paying living wages at both its Canadian and U.S. facilities. With these accolades have also come an impressive growth in its market share. Green Mountain has more than doubled its net sales in just the past two years—the company netted almost $4 billion in 2012—while allocating $28 million to sustainability development. 

In its first venture outside of its native Vermont, Green Mountain opened its largest location at Forks of the River Industrial Park in Knox County in 2008. Plant Manager Mike Brennan names Knoxville’s “available and skilled workforce” as a main reason for the company’s decision for making Knoxville home. The Knoxville production facility has established not only a viable distribution center and competent roaster for its coffees and teas, but also a major location for the production and packaging for the company’s “K-Cup” supplies and accessories.

Green Mountain’s subsidiary company, Keurig, and its “K-Cup” brewing system, allows for single cup brewing of a wide variety of hot beverages with a total of more than 250 brewed varieties. This, coupled with Keurig’s specialized brewers, has seen the company grow outside the coffee production market into brewing technologies.

Along with its financial success and commitment to sustainable practices, Green Mountain has also been an integral part of the community. “We have to give back to the communities we live with,” says Brennan. “It’s a two way street of give and take.”

In wake of the company’s donation of $1.18 million in charity efforts to East Tennessee and Knox County in 2009, and clocking in over 25,000 employee volunteer hours in 2012, the Knoxville Chamber of Commerce awarded Green Mountain Coffee Roasters their coveted Impact Pinnacle Award in 2012. This is awarded to companies that have shown a commitment to making East Tennessee a better place to live through development and community support. 

Having doubled their workforce—now at about 60 employees—since opening its doors, Green Mountain has built a successful and charitable business that continues to shine both nationally and locally. “We’re very proud of our Knoxville facility,” says Sandy Yusen, Green Mountain Coffee director of public relations. “We really enjoy doing business here.” 

Location: 3109 Water Plant Road

Fun Fact: Fair Trade USA named Green Mountain roasters the largest purchaser of Fair Trade certified coffee in 2010 and 2011. 

Purpose Statement: “We create the ultimate coffee experience in every life we touch from tree to cup—transforming the way the world understands business.” 

2012 Total Revenue: $3.86 billion

—————–

Monterey Mushrooms

It’s a fact: Americans love mushrooms. We love them so much that we consume 30 percent of the world mushroom supply each year. Mushrooms have become so commonplace that the once-mysterious food is now a part of everyday American fare. A short drive on Loudon Highway, just beyond the I-75/I-40 split west of Knoxville, finds an unassuming complex that is a key factor in the nation’s mushroom love affair: Monterey Mushrooms.

In 1971, Monterey Mushrooms began as a single-family farm in Royal Oaks, California, and over the last three decades has grown into the country’s largest national marketer of fresh mushrooms. Commanding a 35 percent market share and operating from 20 facility locations across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, they supply customers with mushrooms from all areas of the country. From the facility in Loudon, acquired in 1978, Monterey established both a fresh local source of mushrooms for Knoxville and a major southeast facility for both cultivation and distribution that has seen massive expansions over the years. 

The science of producing mushrooms is a skilled balancing act between moisture, compost, constant manual harvesting, and delicate storage. Monterey begins this process with large mixtures of baled straw, protein meal, gypsum, vegetable oil, and water. Mushroom spawns are planted in this rich mixture and allowed to germinate in the facility’s 280,000 square foot complex. 

The mushrooms then grow in a series of large shelving units under constant supervision before a staff of 200 pickers sweep through each yield—sometimes as many as four times before the components are recycled—to collect between 60,000 and 100,000 pounds of mushrooms a week. These include a wide range of types, from the common White Domestics to the exotic—Portabellas, Shiitakes, Oysters, Baby Bellas, and Enokis. Monterey also produces mushroom packages such as Sliced, Stuffers, Fresh Marinated Portabellas, and Dried Mushrooms. Loudon’s facility starts a new mushroom crop every other day and is in production year round.

With Loudon alone shipping to 13 different states each week, packaging is a key element not only for the conditions of the mushrooms but also for the company’s sense of ecological responsibility. Monterey’s packaging solution uses paperboard materials that are both produced from sustainable materials and are recyclable. In 2012, the company was recognized for Excellence in Innovation from the Produce Marketing Association and for Ecological Considerations from the North American Paperboard Packaging Competition for their new “Sustainable Tills.” 

With continued expansion—the Loudon site has a future expansion plan of an additional 29,000 square feet—and a widening manufacturing and distribution network, Monterey Mushroom strives to continue its long standing work both internationally and here in East Tennessee.  

Location: 19748 Highway 72 N., Loudon

Established in Tennessee: 1978

Employees (Loudon Facility): 585

Designated pickers: 200

Fresh mushrooms picked weekly: 60,000 to 100,000 pounds

Size of facility: 280,000 sq. ft. 

Biking is another option, although sharing the twisty park roads with the considerable automobile traffic isn’t necessarily nirvana, and mountain bikes aren’t allowed on park trails. However, biking is allowed on a few of the park’s trails, including the two-mile Gatlinburg Trail from the Sugarlands Visitor Center to the town of Gatlinburg and the 1.5-mile Oconaluftee River Trail from the Oconaluftee Visitor Center to the town of Cherokee.

The most classic biking opportunity in the park happens in Cades Cove on Wednesday and Saturday mornings from mid-May through most of September, when the loop road is closed to cars until 10:00 a.m. You can choose to bike the entire 11-mile loop or opt for a shorter spin by cutting across the cove on either of the two roads that run through the middle. Turning back via Sparks Lane makes for a four-mile ride, while pedaling a bit further to the Hyatt Lane cut-off will result in an eight-mile journey. Besides not having to share the road with vehicles, the great advantage to biking the Cove during this time is that you’re more likely to see wildlife (such as deer, wild turkeys, fox, coyotes, and many more critters) early in the day. 

Don’t have a bike? Rent one at the Cades Cove bike rental shop (865-448-9034; www.explorecadescove.com) in the Cades Cove campground, right before the start of the loop drive. They’ll also give you a helmet. 

Horseback riding on any of the 550 miles of hiking trails that are open to horses is another excellent active outdoor activity. The park offers three riding concessions in Tennessee and one in North Carolina, all open from mid-March through late November. The Tennessee options include the Cades Cove Riding Stables (865-448-6286), located near the campground at the start of the Cades Cove loop; the Smoky Mountain Riding Stables (865-436-5634; www.smokymountainridingstables.com), on Highway 321 along the northern border of the park, about halfway between Gatlinburg and the Greenbrier entrance; and the Sugarland Riding Stables (865-436-3535; www.sugarlandsridingstables.com), located right before the Sugarlands Visitor Center as you enter the park from Gatlinburg. In North Carolina, you can saddle up at the Smokemont Riding Stables (828-497-2373; www.smokemontridingstable.com), near the Smokemont campground, not far from the Cherokee entrance. 

(At press time, Newfound Gap Road, connecting the Tennessee side of the park with the North Carolina side, was closed between Newfound Gap on the state line and Collins Creek Picnic Area in North Carolina, due to a serious landslide in January. The Park Service expects the road to re-open to through traffic in mid-May. For the latest updates, visit www.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/temproadclose.htm.)

Each of the park’s stables offers a variety of guided trips (the shortest being a one-hour ride) through woods and over mountain streams for beginners as well as more experienced riders. The stables don’t take reservations, operating instead on a first-come, first-serve basis—unless you opt for one of the hayrides, carriage rides, and/or wagon rides that are also offered at Smokemont and Cades Cove.

Outside the park, you’ll find an even greater array of active outdoor adventures. [Cityview covered many of these attractions and activities in the first part of this two-part series, published in the March-April issue.] Here’s an additional handful of first-rate recommendations—just in time for the start of summer. 

Adventure Park at Five Oaks 

Part of the charm of Adventure Park at Five Oaks is its split personality. Many people know Five Oaks as a horseback riding stable that offers half-hour and hour-long rides on scenic trails that wind through 70 wooded acres right off the Parkway in Sevierville. In fact, the stable has been operating at the same location for more than 25 years. But three years ago, the attraction expanded when the owners installed several ziplines and added “Adventure Park” to its name—doubling the fun.

These days, the facility offers nine ziplines that range from 450 feet to 2,500 feet long, zipping you at speeds of up to 50 miles an hour at heights of up to 100 feet off the ground. You can even go night zipping here. New this year is a two-line Quick Thrills zipline tour, which includes a 2,500-foot-long racing zipline. Also new is Five Oaks’ early-bird special, which knocks $15 off the price of the seven-line tour if you start at 8 a.m.

Five Oaks and its brand new sister zipline facility in Pigeon Forge (Adventure Ziplines of Pigeon Forge) are the only ziplines in the state of Tennessee that use a double-line, solid steel construction. With this style of zipline, riders hook up to two lines simultaneously (one on top of the other), using two separate sets of hardware, so in the unlikely event that one were to fail, riders are still safely hooked to the other. 

 Information: (865) 453-8644; www.adventureparkatfiveoaks.com

Smoky Mountain Llama Treks 

Llama treks llet you lleave all the llugging to the llamas as you hike unburdened alongside these friendly, furry beasts. Owners Steve and Johnna Garrett own nine of the creatures, whose intriguing names include Cinnamon Mocha, Peanut Butter (actually an alpaca), and Blackjack (the farm stud). Several of their llamas originally did duty as part of the team carrying supplies up to LeConte Lodge (atop Mount LeConte) once a week before coming to live on the Garretts’ Sevierville farm. 

Trekking options range from the casual (the introductory two-hour, two-mile Teaser Trek) to the wild and wooly (a two-day overnight trek offered from May through October that includes all the necessary camping equipment). Most hikes, however, are five- to seven-mile full-day adventures. They include a stop for lunch, although the trips are strictly bring-your-own-sustenance (including your own utensils, napkins, plates, cups, and beverages). You’ll be able to put your food and drinks in special coolers that the llamas carry in their saddlepacks (along with ice, tables, and chairs provided by the outfitters). 

For the most part, the llama treks are on trails traversing private property—not in the national park itself. Unless you opt for the short trek that’s on the Garretts’ farm, your guide will meet you at the trailhead.

The Garretts also offer several combo adventures with sister attractions, allowing you to add a zipline tour, an ATV tour, a whitewater rafting trip, or even a helicopter ride to a half-day llama trek. 

If you just want to visit with the llamas for a bit and forgo the trekking all together, you can do that, too. The Garretts offer farm presentation tours that give you the chance to pet and feed the llamas, have your picture taken with them, and learn lots of interesting facts about them. (Reservations are required to ensure the llamas won’t be out on the trail when you arrive.) 

Information: (423) 487-0600; www.smokymountainllamatreks.com

Scenic Helicopter Tours 

Altitude is everything, and Scenic Helicopter Tours proves it by inviting you to climb aboard one of their distinctive bright yellow and black helicopters and swoop the Smokies on a fully narrated tour. 

For just a taste of flight, try the quick Upsy Downsy, which takes you only 500 feet into the air from Scenic’s Sevierville heliport. Feeling only slightly braver? Opt for the six-mile River Mountain View flight, which gets you up to about 1,000 feet. 

Scenic’s main menu of options includes nine additional narrated tours that range from 12 to almost 100 miles each. The most popular trips are the 35-mile Wears Valley flight and the 50-mile National Park flight (which takes you over Sugarlands and Elkmont). For the ultimate adventure, go for the Smoky Mountain Spectacular, which flies over the towns of Sevierville, Pigeon Forge, and Gatlinburg as well as the national park (including Clingmans Dome and Cades Cove).

Scenic is also an appropriate choice when love is in the air. The company offers aerial weddings as well as romantic lunch flights that drop you off at Angelos’ at the Point, a restaurant on Douglas Lake, and then bring you back after your meal. 

Information: (865) 453–6342; www.flyscenic.com

Just Get Outdoors!

Exploring the Smokies with Liz Domingue of Just Get Outdoors! is hardly just another hike. Where other outfitters are content to show you the scenery and give you the opportunity to get some great exercise, Liz is loathe to limit you to that. As a top-notch naturalist guide who has a master’s degree in wildlife ecology and conservation biology (she was formerly a research scientist at Cornell University), she introduces you to all sorts of fascinating aspects of the natural world that most hikers just tramp right on past. You’ll return with a greater appreciation for the intricate interconnectedness of the Smokies’ rich flora and fauna, as well as a deeper understanding of your own intimate relationship with nature.

Domingue, a regular hiking leader for Great Smoky Mountains Association outings as well as for the Smoky Mountain Field School, offers both a menu of several standard programs as well as custom adventures tailor-made to your specific interests, whether you’re into spring wildflowers, birding, fall colors, salamanders, elk, waterfalls, or nature photography. Popular summer offerings include hikes to see the azaleas blooming on the balds and nighttime programs during synchronous firefly season. If you’re up for a longer adventure, you can sign up for overnight wilderness treks of varying lengths—or even one of Liz’s naturalist adventure tours in other national parks and public lands throughout the United States. 

 Information: (865) 977-4453; www.justgetoutdoors.com 

Legend has it that, long ago, there was an indigenous tribe living in the area of Belém do Pará, Brazil. It was a hard time, when food was scarce and many were dying of hunger. The tribe’s Chief Itaki made a drastic decision: to sacrifice all the new-born children—even his beloved daughter’s child wasn’t to be spared. The Chief’s daughter Iaçá cried and prayed to the God Tupã to show her father another way to help eliminate hunger. One night, Iaçá heard a child’s cry and followed the sound into the forest, to a beautiful palm tree, where a vision of her son appeared. She went to hug her son, but the vision disappeared. In the morning, Iaçá was found dead, hugging the trunk of the palm tree that was laden with small dark fruit. Itaki ordered the fruit to be harvested and, in honor of his daughter, named the fruit Açaí, which is precisely the name Iaçá reversed.

The açaí berry (pronounced “ah-sigh-EE”) is a grape-like fruit that is a good source of antioxidants (anthocyanin), fiber, and omega-6 fatty acids. The fruit is about the size of a large blueberry, yet only the outermost layers of the fruit, the pulp surrounding a large internal seed, are edible. The berries are harvested from açaí palms, which are some of the same trees used to harvest edible hearts of palm.  

Proponents of the açaí berry’s superfood status claim that it supports weight loss, lowers cholesterol, and promotes detoxification. Scientists and nutritionists agree, however, that more research is needed on the berry’s true effect on human health. The açaí berry is commonly used in juices, beverages, smoothies, frozen treats, and dietary supplements.

“Açaí berries contribute valuable antioxidants to fight disease and aging,” says Beth A. Booker, a registered dietitian/nutritionist at Fort Sanders Health & Fitness Center in Knoxville. “But while açaí berries seem to have a variety of antioxidants and anti-inflammatories, we can’t expect them to neutralize the effect of life in the drive-thru restaurant line. Açaí berries are one part of the equation.”

Body

“Açaí berries contain high levels of anthocyanins, which are responsible for their dark blue-purple color,” explains Booker. “These powerful chemicals provide antioxidant protection, which may forestall aging and disease processes.”

The origin of the word “anthocyanin” is Greek, from the words meaning “plant” and “blue.” Anthocyanins provide the rich red, purple, and blue hues in many fruits, vegetables, and flowers. Foods richest in anthocyanins, such as açaí, blueberries, and red grapes, have the deepest colors, ranging from deep purple to black.

Anthocyanins and flavonoids are powerful antioxidants that enhance the body’s cell protection system. Consuming a diet rich in antioxidants may help combat some of the harmful free radicals leading to disease and aging process. By lessening the destructive power of free radicals, antioxidants may help reduce the risk of some diseases, such as heart disease and cancer.

Although no conclusive studies have been conducted on humans, it is believed that the anthocyanins isolated from the açaí berry were able to eradicate human leukemia cells. In a study conducted by a group of Texas AgriLife Research scientists on 12 healthy people, the subjects had slightly higher measures of antioxidants in their blood than people getting a placebo. Research showed that, theoretically, the berry’s stimulation in antioxidant activity might help prevent diseases caused by oxidative stress such as heart disease and cancer. “Açaí berries are a good source of antioxidants, fiber, and heart-healthy fats, but research is limited, and many of these claims haven’t yet been proven,” says Booker. 

Acaí berries also contain healthy fatty acids, such as oleic acid, one of the same oils found in olive oil. Most experts agree that oleic acid is one of the better fats for humans to consume, believing that it helps lower total cholesterol levels.

Açaí Berry claims to fame: 

Açaí berries pack a high concentration of antioxidants that help combat premature aging, with 10 times more antioxidants than red grapes and 10 to 30 times the anthocyanins of red wine.

The berry contains monounsaturated fats (healthy fats), dietary fiber, and phytosterols, which help promote cardiovascular and digestive health.

Açaí berries can help proper muscle contraction and regeneration via their content of essential amino acid complex and valuable trace minerals.

Some believe açaí berry reduces appetite and increases energy. However, there is currently no scientific evidence to support the berry’s impact on weight loss. 

Due to its high content of antioxidants, which delays aging, some cosmetics and beauty products use açaí oil as one of their ingredients. Studies show that açaí oil may be a safer alternative to other tropical oils used in beauty products, especially since açaí oil maintains its high levels of antioxidants even after having been processed and stored for a long period of time.

 Açaí is naturally low in sugar, with a flavor often described as a mixture of red wine and chocolate. Because of its low sugar content, when available in juice form, it might contain added sugar, so make sure to check the food label for carbohydrates levels. Here are some favorites you can find in grocery stores: 

Blue Bunny’s FrozFruit Superfruit Raspberry Açaí bars. With only 90 calories each, they contain pureed açaí berries and raspberries. You can burn these calories by walking for 20 minutes.

Sambazon Organic Açaí juice. This drink contains 50 calories per serving, 80 percent juice, and no added caffeine. Burn off the calories by allowing 10 minutes of jogging.

Tropicana Pure Raspberry Açaí juice. This 100 percent juice drink has only 140 calories, 1 gram of fat, and no added sugars. Get on the stationary bike for 15 minutes and burn off the calories.

Soul

Due to their high content of anthocyanins, the açaí berries have a deep purple color and are therefore easily used as natural food coloring. So next time you are in the kitchen, mix up some açaí berry puree into a fresh batch of vanilla ice cream and decorate each bowl with fresh mint leaves for a lovely and exotic treat.

The straw made from açaí leaves can be turned into hats, baskets, or brooms. Use the seeds for crafts to create bead necklaces. Use them in their natural brown color or dye the beads and turn them into fashionable accessories.

Purple hues can be both soothing and energizing, depending on the color combinations chosen. Decorate your “quiet” corner with relaxing deep purple tones, add some dark blue pillows, and lighten things up with sage green accents. Light up a berry-scented candle and choose your music depending on your mood. Try Putumayo’s Brazilian Lounge or Acoustic Brazil for relaxation and Brazilian Groove for gaining some energy. Find the CDs at Earth to Old City in Downtown Market Square or on line at www.putumayo.com. Not only will you get a glimpse into the exotic culture of Brazil through their traditional rhythms, but you will be supporting a great cause. Part of the proceeds will go towards helping communities in the countries where the music originates. Charitable recipients include Amnesty International, Coffee Kids, Oxfam, Mercy Corps, and many more.

Where to Find Açaí Berries

In Knoxville:

Tienda Nony: 8373 Kingston Pike #500, 865-691-2424

Smoothie King: 8515-A Kingston Pike, 865-470-2888 

Earth Fare: 140 N. Forest Park Boulevard (Bearden), 865-558-1432 

Vitamin World: 7600 Kingston Pike (West Town Mall), 865- 670-2999

The Vitamin Shoppe: 7833 Kingston Pike, 865-670-8927 

Complete Nutrition: 11027 Parkside Drive, 865-288-4110

Online:

www.brazilianshop.com

www.vitaminworld.com

www.natrol.com

www.sambazon.com

www.açaíberryway.com

you’ll see us and then

We come with the dust

and we go with the wind

 —Woody Guthrie

In the days of affluence and plenty before the Great Recession served want and financial insecurity like an eviction notice on Middle America, the chronically homeless were already walking the streets of virtually every urban center in the United States. Like canaries in a coalmine, the homeless are a reminder that the comfortable life of the average American is a gift, not the natural order of human existence. The poor you have with you always, but, unfortunately, a person who is always present can become as unnoticed as discarded coffee cups and cigarette butts.

Often, when the rest of us do notice the homeless, we would prefer they just go away—and that’s where the real poverty begins. 

Many in South Knoxville before 2011 had this reaction when they learned of Chris Martin and the Knoxville Leadership Foundation’s plans for the abandoned school building between Maryville and Martin Mill Pikes at Flenniken Landing. Because many of the chronically homeless have mental disorders, must solicit resources from passersby to meet their basic human needs, and lack access to health care and hygiene, a 48-unit concentration of shelter for the homeless is a renovation few communities would desire or seek. Yet that is exactly what Martin had in mind.

Martin is experienced not only with the management of poverty but also with the politics and community organizing that go along with fighting it. For more than 25 years, he has made his home in Mechanicsville, including back when that neighborhood was considered blighted and before the Knoxville Community Development Corporation demolished the 60-year-old, 320-unit College Homes housing project in a revitalization attempt in 1998. Part of the origins of increased homelessness in America can be traced to these 1980s to 1990s urban-renewal efforts, when government razed many of the facilities it had previously subsidized.

“Mechanicsville was once a difficult place to be,” says Martin, “but we made it home.” He and his wife Cindy have since raised three daughters there.

In 1994, Martin started the KLF, which has subsequently grown into an organization that brings together leaders from every part of the Knoxville community to coordinate resources in a myriad of programs and initiatives. “We are a very strange outfit as far as structure and how we’ve evolved,” says Martin. “We do so many different things because when something comes along that we think we can help with, we just add it to our plate. Our mission is basically to identify the greatest needs in the community and connect resources to them. What’s the best way to attack the need? Most often it’s in collaboration with other organizations and bringing our expertise to them.”

Although with a mission statement like that, KLF can take on almost any problem, a project like Flenniken Landing was a natural fit, as 40 to 50 percent of KLF’s work is with housing.

“We started the precursor to Cherokee Health Systems,” Martin continues, “but then we handed it off to CHS because we knew they could do so much more with it. They’ve taken it to another level. If you go to our website, you’ll see we also have a mentoring program [Amachi] for kids whose parents are incarcerated. There’s KnoxWorx, which helps the unemployed. Last year we worked intensively with 1,200 volunteers and with 65 other nonprofits. But our focus is housing—even if that means putting on a roof or installing a handicap-access ramp.”

We think sometimes that poverty is only being hungry, naked, and homeless.

The poverty of being unwanted, unloved, and uncared for is the greatest poverty.

—Mother Teresa

At first, no one wanted Flenniken Landing or the residents who would live there. “We had so much controversy at the beginning,” Martin recalls. KLF’s Southeastern Housing Initiative acquired the property in 2009 with plans to renovate it, but in June of that year about twenty South Knoxville residents turned out in opposition at the use-on-review hearing by the Metropolitan Planning Commission. Consequently, the MPC rejected KLF’s request by an almost unanimous vote. It was up to the full City Council, however, whether to follow the MPC’s recommendation.

Meanwhile, Martin worked with the South Knoxville community to gain the support of local leaders—an outreach he continues to this day: “We went after a regular routine of meeting with neighborhood groups and county commissioners Mike Brown and City Councilman Nick Pavlis.” The effort was to reassure the area that Flenniken residents would not be violent or the facility a center for drug use.

Despite this outreach, Martin feared that Flenniken would be dead on arrival when City Council voted on KLF’s proposal. He credits Father Ragan Schriver, who appealed to council members’ compassion, for winning its approval. He adds, “That’s when I became certain that God’s hand was on the project.”

Two years after Flenniken’s opening, Martin believes many in the community have been won over. He recalls a luncheon attended by commissioners a few months ago in which they listened to the stories of residents and saw what the old schoolhouse has become—its appearance much improved since KLF acquired it and found birds roosting inside. Besides its primary use, the building has become an asset to the area and also serves as a meeting room for local groups.

One commissioner told Martin he was “very pleased with the improvements to the structure and the way KLF has engaged the community.” Martin adds, “Any apartment building with low income people is going to have issues… scuffles. But it’s an attractive, quiet facility. We’re not causing headaches. Folks really don’t think about us anymore.”

For a poor person, everything is terrible—illness, humiliation, shame.

We are cripples. We are afraid of everything, we depend on everyone.

No one needs us. We are like garbage that everyone wants to get rid of.

—Voices of the Poor 

(published by the World Bank)

According to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, once a person’s basic physiological requirements such as food and water are met, the next most critical motivation is for security and safety—those things that come with a place of belonging: like a family and the sense of being needed. For Flenniken Landing to succeed, Martin knew it would have to offer residents something more than just a roof over their heads. It would also have to give them the chance at a new beginning.

“The entire idea behind Flenniken is community,” Martin says. “It starts with getting folks off the streets and giving them a place to live. But more than that, once you’ve stabilized them in one location and routine, you can then begin to provide them with the other services every person needs.”

Flenniken offers church and civic groups a safe, central location to bring other resources like toiletries, books, clothing, food, and other material necessities to those needing their help most. It also gives these groups a healthy environment in which to develop fellowship and foster a network of mutual support and compassion among the residents. By coordinating with other organizations, Flenniken can provide a host of activities to enrich residents’ social lives, including holiday observances, potluck meals, and even the opportunity to take an occasional class.

“We’re seeing so much success in the lives of individuals,” Martin says. “Some of them have been living on the street 10 or 15 years without change. In some cases, their lives have been marred by drug use, and they’re finally in treatment programs. The residents have turned what is basically an apartment building into a community.”

Martin’s Christian faith informs everything he does, but as a faith-based organization working with government, KLF has to navigate the bureaucratic waters that separate church and state carefully. “The main thing is don’t discriminate in who you serve or try to evangelize them,” Martin says. “Our application doesn’t ask any questions like that. Many of our volunteers come from churches and other religious groups. They may say a prayer among themselves before they start to work or when they eat the food they brought with them, but that’s not using any federal money. We’re not here to serve them. There’s nothing religious about a bundle of shingles or nailing a shingle on a house.”

Even so, Martin believes working with the homeless is a spiritual experience for both giver and recipient. “Our residents learn that even people who live in the streets or make extremely poor choices are loved. And when the rest of us help those people, it changes our own hearts. It forces us to realize how blessed we are. Flenniken gives people a different story to tell—a story of hope and redemption.”

Lord I’m one, lord I’m two, lord I’m three, lord I’m four, lord I’m still 500 miles away from home.

—Traditional

Despite the success of Flenniken Landing, it contributes only 48 units toward housing a homeless community in Knox County likely in excess of 7,000 people, based on how many individuals utilized homelessness resources in 2011 (study conducted by the Knoxville-Knox County Homeless Coalition). Additionally, not all the homeless can be served with the same kind of living space. “Flenniken isn’t for someone who doesn’t need any assistance, someone independent,” Martin says, “nor is it appropriate for someone who has severe needs. It’s classified as ‘permanent supportive housing.’”

In other words, Flenniken is equivalent to an assisted-living facility such as would shelter an elderly relative. “We can’t provide health care,” Martin says, “but we check in on residents and connect them to social workers. Those who need medication, for example, are responsible for taking it themselves—although we remind them to do that. We also observe whether they seem to be doing okay.”

Because Flenniken opened only in 2011, Martin does not know yet what will happen to most residents long-term or how long they will stay, although a few have already started jobs and moved on—or, as Martin puts it, “graduated out.”

Many will live in Flenniken indefinitely and perhaps for the rest of their lives, hence the word “permanent.” That open-ended time frame again limits the fraction of homeless people the facility can sustain.

Martin hopes, therefore, that Flenniken will serve as a model for other organizations like KLF to emulate. “When a project like this is done well with a reputable organization, it can address a great need,” says Martin. “You have to have commitment for it to work for the long haul. No one involved with Flenniken Landing made a lot of money, but the motive wasn’t to get rich. We just wanted to help a lot of people.”

A lot more homeless people in Knox County are waiting to be helped.

How you can get involved

Please visit Knoxville Leadership Foundation’s Web site www.klf.org

if you would like to volunteer or contribute to Flenniken Landing or any other program KLF supports. 

You can also call (865) 524-2774.  

Loosen up those belts—the International Biscuit Festival is back in Market Square. Attendees can witness the biscuit bake off, shop from local vendors at the biscuit bazaar, stroll down Biscuit Boulevard tasting biscuits from more than 20 bakers and restaurants, or watch the Miss and Mr. Biscuit Pageant. All of this may be a lot to digest, but it’s a Knoxville feast that shouldn’t be missed. Tickets for Biscuit Boulevard are $5.  www.biscuitfest.com

  May 13: Misty May

Father John Misty (the stage moniker for singer/songwriter Joshua Tillman of Fleet Foxes fame) will grace the stage at the Bijou Theater with his folk melodies about love, loss, and wandering. Father John Misty’s live performances are often characterized as unpredictable and energetic. Joining him: indie duet Adam Green and Binki Shapiro playing songs from their album released in January. Tickets start at $17 and the journey begins at 8 p.m. www.knoxbijou.com

May 16-17: Pencil This In…

What’s the only thing better than tasting food? Writing about it. Signing up for the Southern Food Writing Conference gives you a chance to do both. Professional journalists, bloggers, and authors will discuss Southern traditions, family recipes, and the relationships among food, race, gender, and the environment. You’ll also enjoy visiting some of the best food destinations in East Tennessee and a dinner at Blackberry Farm. Early Bird registration starts at $395. 

May 16-17: Tune Into Spring

The Knoxville Symphony Orchestra is performing The Rite of Spring, an orchestral concert written by Russian composer Igor Stravinsky, at the Tennessee Theatre. The masterful Lucas Richman, music director for the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra since 2003, conducts. This event is the harmonious  way to add a dash of culture to your spring. Tickets start at $22 ($11 for students). Spring over to the Tennessee Theatre at 6:15 p.m. www.tennesseetheatre.com

May 16: Brotherly Love

Throw on your flannel shirt and check out North Carolina folk band The Avett Brothers at the Knoxville Coliseum. Known for their banjo licks and catchy tunes, these guys will have you stompin’ your feet and clappin’ your hands in no time. Just like their music, The Avett Brothers’ live shows are rumored to be rowdy, reflective, and always entertaining. This is one hoedown you don’t want to miss. Tickets start at $29 and the shindig starts at 8 p.m. www.knoxvillecoliseum.com

May 31-June 1: Fearful Family Fun

America’s favorite cadaverous clan, the Addams Family, is coming to the Tennessee Theatre’s Broadway at the Tennessee. Sure to be full of ghosts and grins, this is one spooky spectacle that people are dying to see. Expect to encounter eerie sets, sing-along-worthy songs, and a ghoulish original story. Find out what happens when Wednesday Addams tries to bring a boy home to meet the family. This is frightful fun that everyone can enjoy! And there’s no reason to fear—there are three chances to catch this haunting family adventure. Tickets start at $37. www.tennesseetheatre.com

June 29: Pour Yourself Another

Is there anything better than a nice cold beer on a hot summer day? How about sampling dozens of different beers? Hop on over to Southern Railway Terminal for the 3rd Annual Knoxville Brewfest. For a flat rate of $38 you gain admission to the festival and a sampling glass to use throughout the day while you enjoy one of the finer perks of adulthood. There will be beers from local breweries as well as from national brands. The keg will be tapped at 4 p.m. Please enjoy the event responsibly. www.knoxvillebrewfest.com

Based on media coverage, one would think Campfield’s chances of winning any election match those of failed Missouri    U.S. Senate candidate Todd Akin (he who said, “If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down”) being voted onto the board  of the National Organization for Women. 

But Campfield, a Republican, wins. A lot. 

Campfield, 44, was first elected to the Tennessee House of Representatives in 2004 with 65 percent of the vote. It didn’t take him long to try to rearrange the furniture.

In 2005, he said he wanted to join the legislature’s Black Caucus. “Why he chose to focus on the Black Caucus, I have no idea other than he is crazy and a racist,” Democratic caucus member Rep. Larry Miller told NBC News. 

However, in quiet discussions around Knoxville, this question, in different forms, was asked: How can he be denied membership in an organization of elected officials because of his skin color? 

Re-elected to the House in 2006 and 2008, in 2010 Campfield ran for the Tennessee state senate. He won—with 57 percent of the vote.

His friends call him colorful. His adversaries say he’s bizarre. In 2009, he was escorted from Neyland Stadium in a Halloween-related incident that began with him being asked to take off a wrestler’s mask. In April 2010, he made news for parking his car on the sidewalk next to the state capitol because he was late for a vote. Both incidents occurred while he was running for the state senate. It didn’t matter. 

His penchant for attracting attention includes notice of legislation he has introduced, such as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill (or “Don’t Teach Gay,” as he describes it), which would prohibit teachers from discussing any sexuality except heterosexuality in grades K-8; drug-testing for welfare recipients; and making private the names of Tennesseans who have handgun-carry permits. None have thus far become law. 

The Don’t Say Gay/Don’t Teach Gay bill was the impetus for Campfield being denied seating at the Bistro at the Bijou restaurant in downtown Knoxville. The restaurant owner was hailed by the political left; however, in a radio interview she said that the year before Ku Klux Klan members had been in her restaurant—and there was no mention of evicting them. 

In quiet conversations around Knoxville people asked: Was it right to refuse service to him because she didn’t like a political position he’d taken? 

His detractors convince each other how much everyone hates Campfield. But echo chambers are poor barometers of political reality. 

In interviews, Campfield generally presents as an amiable guy promoting things he thinks are important. He explains his purposes rationally and makes his points without anger, bitterness, or spite. Someone must be listening—because he wins. 

A Campfield problem is his smart-alecky side. In early 2012, in an interview with Michelangelo Signorile, the editor-at-large of Huffington Post Gay Voices, Campfield said that AIDS was transmitted to humans via human-simian sexual intercourse.

It’s easy to picture Campfield enjoying aggravating an aggressive interviewer with whom he profoundly disagrees. But it was a miscalculation in an era when many people are angered more by what you say than what you do. 

In February 2013, he responded in a way that went viral to an e-mail calling him, among other things, “an embarrassment to our great state.” 

Campfield responded by suggesting the writer could have anger issues, ought to consider therapy, and that he’d heard “they are doing wonderful things with medications these days.” 

What he should have said: “Thanks for contacting me.”

In nearly every campaign Campfield has run against multiple opponents, which his detractors say shows he’d fall in a one-on-one contest. However, election results on the Knox County Election Commission website show, except for the 2010 state senate primary (in which he received nearly 40 percent in a four-way race), Campfield has won with margins large enough to defeat both opposing candidates’ combined totals. 

Here’s why Campfield wins: 

He works like a dog.

People who meet him on their front porches see the amiable, likable Stacey.

A majority of voters evidently don’t see his legislation through the same political prism as his liberal adversaries.

His political enemies go overboard because They. Truly. Hate. Him.

Knox County Commissioner Richard Briggs wants to unseat Campfield in the 2014 election. Briggs is a heart surgeon, smart, accomplished, and used to public service and campaigning. He’ll need it all, and more. 

You can bet against Stacey Campfield. But understand that you might not see any money. 

He tends to win.  

——-

Mary Jo Marino: What is Family Promise?

Joyce Shoudy: We are a shelter program for homeless families. Family Promise works with a network of churches that turn empty classrooms into bedrooms for a week at a time.  And we are unique in that we work with families—the fastest-growing segment of the homeless population.

MJM: How does the organization fill some of the needs of homeless families?

JS: We help to coordinate families staying in churches for a week at a time. Every Sunday morning the family packs up and moves to the next church. We bring in airbeds and that is what the family sleeps on. They are in classrooms—so every family has their own room instead of being in one great big institutional room with bed after bed after bed. We give families privacy.

MJM: How many host churches does Family Promise work with?

JS: There are 16 host churches. The churches and other community organizations also offer food, and volunteers are there around-the-clock playing with kids, talking with the parents, just trying to show these homeless families that they’re accepted and loved and that they’re just like anybody else—because it can happen to anybody.

MJM: Who are the homeless in Knoxville? 

JS: People in Knoxville don’t understand that the face of homelessness is not the chronic person that they see under the bridge—many families with children are homeless. The economy has played a big part in family homelessness. In addition, sometimes people make bad choices—or an adult or child has a medical problem and bills get out of control and the family loses their housing. Sometimes people get caught in a bad cycle and they simply need to regroup. We give families that opportunity. I am proud to say we’ve served 147 families over the past seven years; we’ve helped 283 children—131 children under 5 years old.

MJM: I heard that many families are only one paycheck away from homelessness. I’ve worked with Family Promise, and I’ve seen families come into the program totally down and out—and when they leave they are ready for the world again. They have housing, clothes, donated dishes and silverware and bedding and beds and all the types of things they need to get re-started. 

JS: We have 1,200 volunteers working with us—and the families do get back on their feet. On average, in about 60 days, we can help families with new housing and jobs. At our day center we provide parenting classes, budgeting classes, and nutrition classes. We also offer two years of follow-up case management services to make sure that if one of our families hits a bump in the road, it doesn’t become a crisis. We’ve got about an 80 percent success rate—and we’re very proud of that. 

MJM: I love this program because it does indeed keep the family unit together instead of sending a mom to one shelter, a dad to another shelter, and the children into foster care. 

JS: That’s right. We need to continue the program—and we also need to grow the program in Knoxville. We have a wait-list full of families that are five, six, seven people. And if we don’t have that many open beds then we can’t take the families. 

MJM: What is your dream for Family Promise over the next year?

JS: I would dream that our phone would stop ringing—and there would not be so much homelessness. 

To make a donation or for more information about Family Promise, go to www.familypromiseknoxville.org.

—-

Mary Jo Marino is a 2013 Cityview Entrepreneur and the owner of Marino Therapy Centers. She is a passionate advocate for the underprivileged and the homeless.

A native of East Tennessee, Gallaher fell in love with country cooking while watching his mom run a catering company and restaurant. His mom, knowing how challenging and demanding the food industry is, encouraged him to look into other professions. Gallaher earned a degree in chemical engineering from the University of Tennessee, but he couldn’t seem to keep himself out of the kitchen. From the beginning of his career, Gallaher knew his goal. “I knew that if I was going to give up my degree and pursue cooking, the only way I would be happy is if I owned my own restaurant,” says Gallaher.

He’s With the Band

Fresh out of college, Gallaher found a local chef willing to take him on as an apprentice. After about four years, Gallaher landed a job as a chef at Blackberry Farm in Walland. Gallaher spent four years at Blackberry Farm honing his skills in the Blackberry kitchens and perfecting his cooking techniques. After deciding it was time for a change, Gallaher was offered the opportunity to cook for musicians on tour. “I’d been inside the four walls of Blackberry farm for four years, and this was an opportunity to see the world,” he says.

Gallaher cooked for artists such as Kings of Leon, Neil Young, Keith Urban, Sugarland, and The Eagles. “I did about 13 tours over four and a half years, got to travel all over the world and cook on four continents, all while knowing I wanted to get back to Knoxville,” he says.

Capitol Cuisine

Before ending up in Knoxville, Gallaher had one more detour. He had cooked for rock stars—and now he wanted to take on a new patron: politicians. Gallaher became the chef for Governor Bill Haslam and his wife Crissy in 2011, a job he wasn’t planning on taking at first. “I got chill bumps in the interview. They wanted to plant a garden. They wanted to use local Tennessee products—all these things were really important to me,” says Gallaher. The interview convinced him that this was the next step. 

After spending about a year in Nashville with the Haslams, Gallaher felt ready to start his own restaurant. In January of this year, he opened Knox Mason, naming his restaurant after an old mason jar company based in Knoxville. Knox Mason’s décor, designed by his partner David Rudder, reflects Gallaher’s style of cooking: simple, clean, and decidedly Southern. Wood paneling along the walls and tables made of zinc that will patina over time contribute to the at-home atmosphere. 

The recipes Gallaher cooks up directly influence the furnishings of Knox Mason. “Southern food, to me, is really rustic. It’s really simple, straightforward. You can’t hide behind a lot of garnishes and a lot of extra things in a dish. In some ways the restaurant reflects that,” says Gallaher. On Knox Mason’s menu, which changes frequently because of a commitment to using as many local products as possible, customers will find Southern classics such as shrimp and grits and fresh pork rinds.

Loyal To Local

Gallaher has a reputation for developing relationships with local farmers and incorporating their ingredients into Knox Mason’s dishes; the restaurant uses Benton’s ham and products from the local Cruze Farm, among others. “I’m trying to take ingredients from local purveyors and farmers and producers and treat them as simply as possible to showcase what they’re doing,” says Gallaher. “My job as a chef is getting good stuff and not messing it up.” 

Gallaher’s love for whipping up fresh Southern fare seems to be rivaled only by his love for Knoxville.  After seeing Downtown begin to flourish, he knew he wanted to open his restaurant in the heart of the city. “This community and Downtown, together, we can offer an experience to the rest of Knoxville,” he says.

At the core of Knox Mason is the desire to create delicious food for everyone to enjoy and to give people an experience that keeps them coming back. “I want to be a good neighbor,” Gallaher says. “I want to be part of this community.”