The farmhouse at Strong Stock Farm at twilight

I think I breathed an audible sigh of relief the other night when, after a bounteous dinner on the porch of a historic farmhouse, I heard author John Egerton talking about Southern food.

“Take the warnings of the food police with a grain of salt,” Egerton said. “And a dash of Tabasco and a little clove of garlic!” (read more)

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Sherri and her book, Under the Fig Leaf

Scads of folks shelled out $50 each and headed over to Sherri Lee’s fantastic gardens the other evening for the inaugural Great Gardens Party. The beneficiary was the Knoxville Botanical Garden and Arboretum. The theme: figs, of course.

Sherri loves figs — and she loves gardens. We saw figs on trees, bought Sherri’s cookbook on figs, and ate hors d’oeuvres and desserts featuring figs. Some folks even bought fig trees — and other garden plants bearing edibles such as blueberries. But the stars of the event were Sherri’s stunningly beautiful gardens, located off Houser Road. Here, come take a look! (read more)

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Because our husbands have accompanied us to many wine-tasting events, my friend Dawn Ford and I agreed to reciprocate by taking them to a beer tasting the other night.

Carol Costello, a professor in UT’s Culinary Institute and director of the organization’s wine and beer education program, had sent me the invitation. The tasting was at the UT Visitors Center (formerly the UT Faculty Club) on a rainy Wednesday night and it was packed. I had no idea what a treat was in store as Oscar Wong, the founder and owner of Highland Brewing Company in Asheville, North Carolina, stepped to the front of the room.

Wong, an energetic 72-year-old retired structural/civil engineer,  has a glint in his eyes and easy laughter. He is a spellbinding storyteller. During less than two hours we tasted five beers, had a meal featuring dishes cooked with beer (including cupcakes), and discussed fascinating economic development issues in Asheville and the importance of beer in the history of the world. It was a whirlwind. (read more)

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Pat Wood

The sanctuary of St. John’s Cathedral in downtown Knoxville was filled to capacity on Sunday afternoon as friends gathered to remember the life of developer Pat Wood. The ushers were seating folks in folding chairs set up in the side aisles by the time the 3 p.m. service got underway. Wood, 83, passed away last week after 21 days in the hospital. His memorial service, according to the Very Reverend John C. Ross, was “Pat Wood’s kind of event.”

Kim Wood McClamroch, his daughter, painted a portrait of her father as an all-American up-from-the-bootstraps success story. She had us laughing out loud, as surely Pat Wood would have liked. Her father, she said, was the oldest of three boys. He was born in 1928 during the Depression. He had his first job, working at a service station, when he was 10. When he was 14, he was operating heavy equipment. “Work was his passion,” she said of her father. “He always said good things come to those who wait — but you’d better work like hell while you’re waiting.” (read more)

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The 2012 Symphony Show House

The Knoxville Symphony League’s 25th anniversary Show House is open and it’s one of the best ever. If you are interested in design — or just in having an unusual and engrossing day, I recommend you get with a friend or two and head over there.

What makes the Show House so intriguing is that each room of the 6,000-square-foot home is fashioned by a different designer. You literally can spend hours just taking everything in. It will be open through May 13. (read more)

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Alan opening the door to our culinary adventure.

Say what you will about controversial Knoxville chef Bruce Bogartz, but you have to admit one thing: the guy is a creative culinary mastermind. He proved it once again last weekend when he made good on an auction item he had donated to the University of Tennessee School of Music.

The item: a special dinner for 10 to be prepared and served at the location of the purchasers’ choosing. Alan and I were the purchasers. We selected as the location Bogartz’ tiny restaurant, Rouxbarb, at 130 S. Northshore Drive. (This is part of the fulfillment of my New Year’s resolution to use up all the items I’ve purchased at charity auctions! I’m definitely making progress. Click here to see one of the other redemptions.)

So, on Sunday, with the restaurant closed, we collected on our purchase. See if you don’t agree about Bogartz’ culinary creativity.

By the way, I mentioned to Bogartz that I was unaware of his interest in and commitment to the UT Music School. (read more)

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Adam Colvin from the Colvin Family Farm in Cumberland County had an impressive assortment of produce Saturday.

Although the Market Square Farmers’ Market doesn’t officially open until this week, several of the regular farmers showed up this past Saturday to give us a kind of “sneak peek.”

The weather was iffy, which was unfortunate because it also was the day for the Dogwood Arts Festival’s annual Chalk Walk when artists of all ages spread over Market Square and Krutch Park creating amazing works of art on the sidewalks. When the rain did come in a torrent (read more)

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Dawn Ford enjoying the jewels on our field trip to Jewelry TV.

You would think that folks who work around the beautiful products at Jewelry Television would wear a bunch of jewelry themselves, wouldn’t you? But they don’t.

In fact, they only are allowed to wear one piece of jewelry when they come to work — and it has to be the same piece every day. And a photo of that piece is placed on the back of their name badge — so it can be checked by security as they enter and leave their work posts.

This is just one of the tidbits I picked up when a group from the Executive Women’s Association took a field trip to Jewelry Television recently. Here are some other things we heard:

• When looking at colored gemstones, the lighter colored ones usually are less expensive than the darker colored ones. That’s why Shawn O’Sullivan, the grader at Jewelery Television, likes to joke, “Add more color to your wife!”
• The gemstone tanzanite is becoming so rare that sometime during our lifetimes,  it no longer will be available. Already the really deep blue tanzanite is very rare. (read more)
  

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Crescent Bend, also known as the Armstrong-Lockett House, is at 2728 Kingston Pike. (This pretty photo is from the website of Gables & Gates Realtors.)

As you no doubt have noticed, we are in the midst of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War. Through 2015, the bloodiest war in U.S. history will be commemorated in various ways by numerous civic organizations. I am learning a lot about the war and its effect on Knoxville, which was occupied by both sides at various points during the war. It was not a pleasant place to be. (read more)

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This lovely glass piece is by David Goldhagen of Hayesville, North Carolina.

In my 32 years in Knoxville, I’ve never seen a better Dogwood Arts Festival Art Fair on Market Square. This year, the art is as good as it’s ever been and the food and entertainment have been elevated many levels.

A welcome addition this year is the Publix Culinary Arts Stage located on Union Avenue across the street from Coffee & Chocolate. In anticipation of entering the Knoxville market within the coming year, it’s impressive that the much anticipated grocery chain already is making its presence felt with this highly visible sponsorship. If I were the other grocery stores in town, I’d definitely take notice.

Another eager participant in this year’s Dogwood Arts Festival is the Asheville restaurant Tupelo Honey Cafe, set to open its doors in Knoxville in late summer on the southwest corner of Market Square. Tupelo Honey not only has a booth in the fair, but it brought its personable executive chef, Brian Sonoskus, to the Publix Culinary Arts Stage Saturday to make one of his unique warm pimento cheese dishes. Tupelo Honey is about to launch (read more)

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