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2 . 18 . 2012 - (Blog, People)
The Nashville Experience is changing
Hi everyone, I just wanted to take a moment and let you know that we are in the process of rebuilding the website and creating an online show for you. So many exciting things are about to come out. Please bear with us as we make The Nashville Experience something you will never forget.
~Corey Webb
2 . 07 . 2012 - (Blog, People)
The Nashville Culinary Experience with chef Joe Shaw
We will announce all the details of our next culinary experience on Valentine’s Day. This Experience will be in March with chef Joe Shaw creating a five course Italian dinner that will be a preview of what he will be doing at his new restaurant, Pomodoro East. Also jazz singer Randi Michaels will be performing for us.
1 . 30 . 2012 - (Blog, People)
The 2nd Nashville Culinary Experience w/ chef Joe Shaw & Randi Michaels
We’ll have more details in the next couple of weeks but get ready to enjoy the great food of chef Joe Shaw and music provided by Randi Michaels. This will also be a preview of his new restaurant in East Nashville.
Chef Joe Shaw and me
- (Blog, People)
Chef Joe Shaw and Willy Thomas partner to open a new restaurant
Chef Joe Shaw (Watermark, The Standard, Miro District) and Willy Thomas (Park Cafe, Eastland Cafe) are opening a new restaurant in East Nashville very soon. The concept sounds delicious and will be unlike anything in East Nashville at the moment. They are looking to open around the first week or two of April.
More news soon.
- (Blog, People)
The Nashville Culinary Experience = A magical night
We’ve created a new series called The Nashville Culinary Experience and it’s a combination of incredible food and great music. In the last few years the reputation for local foods has grown and Nashville’s culinary world receives more and more acclaim. Bon Appetit proclaims Nashville as the “hot” place for food in the South and throughout the nation. The Nashville music scene has been called the best current music scene by Rolling Stone magazine. Many of us in Nashville have known for years about the magic of this great city and the people who make it so special. We felt like it was time to share our passion for all of these things with you in one great package.
Our first journey into this adventure brought us into the beautiful house of singer Suzi Ragsdale. Suzi has the perfect house to bring these sorts of dreams to life. We had the location, a brilliant chef and a great performer that set the stage for a true Nashville experience and we made it happen.
The food was the best of Southern comfort and was served “family” style. The reason for that was to create a relaxed atmosphere than inspired conversations and interaction among our guests. We had a larger table in the dining room for the majority of the party and we were also able to have a smaller chefs table near the kitchen. This table was extra fun because it gave the people sitting there the opportunity to watch chef Hal Holden-Bache work his mojo on our 5-course meal and hear the stories of his passion for food.
We were privileged to have wine provided to enjoy before the meal but also with the courses. Chef Hal prepared a menu that was absolutely delicious and grand. The 1st course was served during a social time before the actual dinner. This was our opportunity to get to know each other as we enjoyed chicken salad on crackers with sliced grapes, pimento cheese and deviled eggs. The deviled eggs had smoked vinegar, sweet relish and some chow chow in them. We were off to a great start and we still had a long way to go.
After the appetizers I took a moment to thank everyone for coming and to let them in on the vision for The Nashville Experience. I wanted them to know that we have big dreams and plans and the Culinary Experience is a part of it. The Nashville Culinary Experience will continue to bring the magic of our local culinary experts as they are paired together with singers/entertainers for many unforgettable nights in the future.
Both dining tables were surrounded by beautiful art, furniture and things that have such flair and became conversation pieces as well. The house invites you to look around and find all of the unique nook and crannies. The atmosphere and conversations were relaxed yet lofty.
We took our seats to start our 2nd course. It was a butternut squash soup which was delightful as it sashayed over our tastebuds like velvet. It was during this course that we knew we were in the midst of a magical evening.
The 3rd course was a salad of broccoli, cauliflower, cheese, onions, nuts with a creamy, slaw type dressing. A fun twist away from the soup as the colors, textures and flavors jumped out and we realized how good the cheese was but oh man that onion is really good but the dressing…ahhh! What a fun and playful salad to tantalize the tongue.
I look into the kitchen and see Hal waiting for us to have a moment before he serves our entrée. He has a smile on his face that conjures up thoughts of a wizard that has shown some real magic but just wait until you see what’s up his other sleeve. Surely the Gods of Southern Cuisine were smiling down upon us.
The 4th course was brined (mustard, herbs, worcestershire sauce wet rub) and grilled pork glazed with a pepper jam. There was a chutney sauce to top of the pork which will more than likely be on the Lockland Table menu as well. The sides were turnip infused whipped potatoes and a trifecta of greens (collard, mustard and turnip) that had bacon, onions, smoked vinegar and a dash of sugar in them. It was pure Southern bliss with a sprinkle of heaven on top of that. The cornbread that we had was soft, tender and just the right amount of sweetness. A drizzle of honey soaked into the top. With this course I heard so many gush over the flavor and tenderness of the pork. The potatoes were like the fluffiest clouds that simply floated over our tongues. A few of us discussed how these might have been the best whipped potatoes ever. Some of our guests were not big fans of greens before this night but they were amazed at how the greens tasted. Hal kept the flavor of the greens and converted the skeptics that thought greens had to be bitter.
Our 5th and final course was a dessert. Hal created a warm apple brown betty topped with vanilla ice cream. This was filled with fresh apples that were tender but still had a hint of crispiness to them. They were warm and with a nice thin crust over them. A big ball of vanilla ice cream was added and suddenly we were kids again eating an all American dish.
The dessert was served during Suzi’s set as we all sat in her music room and let her music lift our souls and provide a perfect finish to night that I’m not sure words can truly express. You just had to be there. Suzi sang and played great songs for us that were filled with beautiful and poignant stories as well as fun tunes that were light-hearted and kept our smiles on. Her music is a sweet melting pot of styles and were truly. I really encourage you to learn more about her and her many talents and interests.
The entire night people talked about how wonderful the food was, how fun Suzi’s music is and what a wonderful location it was to have this sort of event. Some said the food brought back memories of grandmothers, special times and other fond memories.
If you were there, you will know this doesn’t do justice to that wonderful evening with old and new friends. If you weren’t there, you need to be ready to join us in the future for inspiring food and music. The Nashville Culinary Experience is your door to a magical journey through the senses.