Gather. Nourish. Indulge.
Those three words embody chef Charlotte Miller’s mission at Yay Yay’s, her newly launched coffee shop/eatery/event space on historic Jefferson Street. Along with business partner Jason Luntz, Miller has created a welcoming place that functions in two ways. Weekdays, it’s a laid-back hang for folks to meet up, have a cup of coffee or pot of tea, and a tasty bite (including her phenomenal biscuits, including The Usual Suspects and Biscuits You Didn’t Know You Wanted, but more on that later). Weekends are devoted to events. A long-time caterer, Miller wanted to have her own location to take care of her clients. She can readily transform the cozy quarters to accommodate the gamut of family reunions, birthday celebrations, book signings, bridal showers, teas, political forums, workshops, and team building seminars.
“Working in the hospitality industry has given me the opportunity to provide wonderful and imaginative dining experiences for people around the world,” Miller says. “But my true inspiration is to provide that for the people of North Nashville.”
The classically trained chef spent much of her career cooking in high-end restaurants throughout the Caribbean. But the native Nashvillian heeded a calling to come home. Community-minded, Miller has taught culinary classes at Project Return and volunteered at The Nashville Food Project. In 2020, she started Mama Blanche brunch catering, which she named after her maternal great grandmother. With Yay Yay’s, she is fulfilling a dream by opening a brick-and-mortar location. It is named after her paternal great-grandmother—a Creole woman from New Orleans who inspired joyous gatherings wherever she went.
“When I dreamed of becoming a chef, I always imagined using my talents to create an atmosphere like Yay Yay could, as I heard through the tall tales and fleeting memories of the elders in my family,” Miller says.
Step inside Yay Yay’s; you get the feeling you are coming into someone’s home. One area by a window is like a living room with couch and coffee table. In an opposite corner is another, more casual sitting area, like a study. An array of four tops and longer community tables fill the room. Bright artwork, including a We Are Nashville mural, adorns the walls. There’s also a small stage, perfect for musical and spoken word performances.
For the weekday menu, Miller’s cuisine can be described as modern Southern. She is proud to use local and regionally sourced ingredients in her cooking. Cruze Family Dairy buttermilk is key to her biscuits: tender flaky layers that are delectable plain, packed with bacon-eggs-and Kenny’s white cheddar, or –from the Biscuits You Didn’t Know You Wanted—the vegan mélange of kale, radishes, and sautéed mushrooms in Miller’s miso-ginger vinaigrette. (Word: Miller’s biscuits came in 2nd place in Style Blueprint’s Best Biscuits in the South). A surprise combo (and favorite of Miller’s) is called Parfait: a biscuit plied with fresh berries, granola, and labneh, sweetened with honey-vanilla paste.
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Grits are done right. They form the savory base for Miller’s Old School Bowl: eggs-cheese- tomatoes and your choice of Tennshootoe ham (from The Hamery), bacon or veggie sausage. In the Power Bowl, the melding of grits with avocado, kale, mushrooms, and radish will truly power you through the day.
Miller’s offering a roster of boozy coffees, too. You’ll find classic concoctions, like Irish coffee, and new-school brews like South of the Border, blending tequila, orange zest, and Mexican chocolate. “We also have three-dollar mimosas because brunch without a little alcohol is a sad brunch,” Miller says with a laugh. Last December, Miller and Luntz received the Phila Award under the category Nation United, which celebrates a person, group, or organization using food to bring people together to discuss issues related to justice, equity, and inclusion. While the duo feels grateful for the honor, they believe their work in the community has really just begun.
To that end, Miller and Luntz are excited to host Desegregating Nashville’s Food Scene, an anti-racism brunch and dialogue series. Organized by the Nashville Chapter of Les Dames d’Escoffier International and funded in part by a grant from The Women’s Fund of the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, this educational series will feature three in- person presentations and mini-workshops at Yay Yay’s covering. Topics include: Nashville Food History: How Race Played and Continues to Play a Role (3/26); Integrating Your Business: Bringing Inclusion to the Front and the Back of the House (4/23); and Practicing Radical
Hospitality: Welcoming Black and Brown People into White Businesses and White People into Black and Brown Businesses (5/21). These ticketed events, priced at $50 per session, include a catered brunch, cocktail, take away materials, and swag. (1821 Jefferson St., 615-852-5503; yayyaynashville.com)