5 Local Chefs and the Farms they use

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Bear Creek Farm, Leiper’s Fork

Matt Lackey, Chef — Flyte World Dining & Wine

“My food philosophy is rooted in local. I grew up helping my grandfather with his farm in Castalian Springs—a farm that I still tend to today—and seeing firsthand the quality that comes from organic, sustainable produce has shaped my standards as a chef. The folks at Bear Creek share my philosophy. Bill and LeeAnn Cherry are eager to do things the right way. Their silo is filled with organic grain they grow themselves; they’ve created their own processing plant to ensure butchering practices are to their standard; and their customer service is unparalleled. When diners visit Flyte, they’ll see a great variety of Bear Creek beef on the menu, including beef heart pastrami made in house, a 60-day dry aged bone-in ribeye, and a burger on our lounge menu made from Bear Creek beef that we grind daily. x93

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Bill and LeeAnn Cherry of Bear Creek Farm

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Bloomsbury Farm, Smyrna

Philip Krajeck, Chef-Owner — Rolf & Daughters

"Our relationship with Lauren Palmer of Bloomsbury came through family. As our families became close we developed a strong bond. We trust each other. Because of that trust we have a relationship that allows for us to have certain vegetables and fruits grown for us. Bloomsbury maintains organic, sustainable farming practices that enable them to grow produce the way we want to serve it. This goes back to the idea that community and quality are the two most important motivations—this relationship provides both. The food tastes better and the relationships we build are long lasting. We support the local farming community, diners support us…it completes the circle. We are all a part of it. x93

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Lauren Palmer of Bloomsbury Farm

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Double H Farm, Dickson County

Tyler Brown, Chef — Capitol Grille at The Hermitage Hotel

"I've been fortunate in my career to be able to expand beyond the kitchen. In 2009, the managing director of The Hermitage Hotel, Greg Sligh, encouraged the vision of growing a garden to sustain the Capitol Grille. No stranger to farm life, Greg spent his summers exploring, and as a teenager, working the 600-acre Mahan Farm in Missouri that was owned by his grandparents. When an opportunity came through the Land Trust for Tennessee for the hotel to create a four-acre garden, Greg became the greatest supporter and most energetic volunteer. After three years, Greg decided the time was right for expanding from vegetables to livestock and spent the better part of a year visiting farms across Middle Tennessee, finally settling on a 245-acre farm in Dickson County. Cattle raised at Double H supply the Capitol Grille as well as a few other restaurants that share a passion for locally sourced foodstuffs. Today, our menu reflects the work and passion of our team. It is not easy work but any time the heat, dust, blisters, and bugs make us think about giving up, Greg is there encouraging us to keep going."

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Greg Sligh of Double H Farm

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Wedge Oak Farm, Lebanon

Jeremy Barlow, Chef-Owner — Sloco; Author of Chefs Can Save the World.

"Providing our community with nutritious, beautiful ‘real food’ is the hardest and most important job out there. Part of the beauty of ‘real food’ is that behind it is a story, and a majority of that story is the farmer. I met Karen Overton from Wedge Oak Farm around 2008 and over the past 5 years she has become a great friend. Her story is unique, like most. Coming back from the big city (New York) to keep alive the history and culture of a family farm that has been in existence for over 100 years. She used her business sense to find the missing niche in the market and focused on animal husbandry. She farms with an agro-ecological style that leaves no mark on the environment and will leave her farm productive for hundreds of years to come. However, the greatest part of what Karen does is keeping alive the culture of our community. Through the few items I mentioned plus a (re)newed food system that she is helping to build, we are reconnecting with our past while we move towards the future."

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Karen Overton of Wedge Oak Farm

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Bells Bend Farm, Nashville

Martha Stamps, Chef — Martha Stamps Catering; Author of The New New Southern Basics: Traditional Southern Food for Today.

“Growing up in the woods behind Radnor Lake, I have always sensed that I am a part of the natural world, and I have been moved to deepen that connection. As an eater and as a cook, I am convinced that what nature offers us at specific times throughout the year is what our bodies and even souls need, nutritionally, and metaphysically, too. Eric Wooldridge grew up in the Bells Bend community, and he, too, has felt the tug of the land. As a biodynamic farmer, Eric believes that EVERYTHING begins and ends with the soil. It’s a sacred, cyclical relationship with animals, plants, air, and water, and we are a part of it, too. When I prepare food from Bells Bend, I know it will taste amazing, but I know something else. I am investing intentionally in my home, Nashville. It is a home, which is bound to change, but with the help of people like Eric, I get to have a delicious say in how that change may look. x93

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Bells Bend Farm