Alimentum Eat & Greet Tours
As you guys know, I’m nearing the birth of Baby Eats and along with that comes a long list of things to do in preparation. Instead of stretching myself too thin, I’m recruiting a little help here on the blog over the next few weeks. You won’t be rid of me completely, but from time to time you’ll get to meet an awesome (perhaps new-to-you) blogger as they guest post.
Today I am thrilled to introduce my first “helper”, a fellow food blogger who is also involved in some other food-related ventures here in Nashville. One of these ventures is something I’m particularly interested in, so I’ve asked her to share details of it with you today.
Please give a warm welcome to Annakate!
~Alimentum Eat & Greet Tours~
by Annakate Tefft of La Aguacate
First off, I’m super excited that Beth asked me to write this guest post. As a transplant to Nashville, I refer to Eat.Drink.Smile. all the time to learn about the food and drink happenings in Nashville and the Southeast. And don’t even get me started on the recipes. That recent gooey mac and cheese post was out of this world!
When I moved to Nashville two years ago, I immediately started exploring what my new home had to offer food- and drink-wise. What I found was very encouraging – nationally-acclaimed restaurants like City House as well as interesting historic ones like Prince’s Hot Chicken, several local breweries including Yazoo and now Jackalope, artisan purveys like Olive & Sinclair Chocolates and local cheesemakers, a vibrant food truck scene, several ethnic neighborhoods and lots of farmers. Nashville has this big-yet-small-town thing going for it, and I think there’s an approachability here when it comes to artisan offerings that I’ve really come to love.
In my real life job, I do PR in the food industry. At the moment I work for an online recipe club, but previously I’ve represented food companies and cooking schools in Chicago and Mexico. Through these experiences I’ve really grown fond of culinary tourism. I absolutely love sharing food adventures and fun finds with others, to spread the good word. I immediately started thinking about how I could share what I’ve learned to love about Nashville’s food scene with others. And then I met Paulette Licitra.
Paulette is a native New Yorker, a classically trained chef, the publisher and editor-in-chief of Alimentum Journal (the first and only food-focused literary journal), and an instructor of cooking classes of her ancestral Italy and the Mediterranean. Bingo. Together, over a long afternoon of coffee and cake at Fido, Paulette and I hatched a plan to begin conducting culinary tours around Nashville. We had a ball doing “research” in different neighborhoods, eating and drinking our way into a plan for our tours, which we named “Alimentum Eat & Greet Tours.”
For the first tour last September, we took nine folks to explore the ethnic eateries on Nolensville Road. We started the day at K&S World Market (if you haven’t been, get in the car and go at once!), exploring the produce, meats, fish, spices and dry goods from all over. From there we hopscotched our way through many international cuisines including Thai, Turkish, Ethiopian and Mexican. In between these mini meals, we shopped an Indian market and stopped at a Kurdish bakery to see such spectacles as traditional flatbreads being baked in Tandoori ovens.
We ended the day with a taste of Mexico at a gas station-cum-taco joint, where the adventurous eaters in our group ordered tongue and tripe tacos, then enjoyed Persian tea and rose water and saffron-scented ice cream at a Middle Eastern restaurant while the owner regaled us with stories of his native Iraq. All in all, it was an incredible day! Keep in mind we found all of this in a three-mile strip. A short video recap of the tour is below, narrated by Paulette. (It’s worth the five minutes – Paulette did a fantastic job!)
In October, we enjoyed a farm tour, highlighting several interesting artisans and farmers. We began with a tour of Green Door Gourmet Farm, in West Nashville. After a walk through the owner Sylvia’s fields where we learned about her CSA, the local restaurants she grows for and sells to, and her impressive herb garden (more than 20 kinds of basil alone!), we zipped over to an artisan dye studio called ASK Apparel, where Ali Bellos walked us through their seed-to-spool operation. We learned about the textile dye process and how they’re working with local farmers to grow natural dye plants like sumac and indigo.
We could have stayed there the rest of the day asking questions, but we had to get on to our private lunch at Miel restaurant. Owner Seema Prasad arranged a custom menu featuring all local meats, cheeses and produce, with many vegetables grown at Green Door Gourmet, where we just were. The greens in our salad were harvested there that morning!
We finished out the day at Noble Springs Dairy, where Dustin and Justyne Noble took us through the feeding, milking and cheese-making process in the beautiful rolling hills of Franklin, TN. It was a perfect fall day filled with food and friends in Middle Tennessee. Another video recap can be found here.
Here’s the scoop on the next two tours:
- Indian Cultural Tour (Feb 4th, 9:30-3:30p) The group will take a private tour of the famous Sri Ganesha Temple and Hindu Cultural Center, enjoy an Indian lunch feast at a local favorite restaurant, and then be treated to a presentation about yoga by Nashville’s premiere yoga instructor Sujatha Yarlagadda. While the group won’t practice yoga in this session we will be in community with a very gentle, knowledgeable, and caring practitioner.
- East Nashville Artisan Tour (Feb 11th, 9:30-3:30) We’ll start with a tour of Bongo Java Roasting Company to get a behind-the-scenes look at the roasting process including a cupping, then stop for lunch at Silly Goose, a local farm-to-table restaurant. Next we’ll explore the production process of Olive & Sinclair Chocolates along with a tasting. We’ll end the tour in downtown Five Points where guests can indulge in some local shopping at Art & Invention Gallery, Wonders on Woodland and the Idea Hatchery, a small business incubator featuring gift shops, clothing stores, vintage shops and more.
For tickets and more info, click here.
All of our tours include van transportation from a group meeting point, all food and tour costs, a copy of the latest edition of Alimentum Journal, and fun times to eat and greet with local foodies.
It’s been a blast recapping the first two tours and highlighting what’s to come. There’s a lot happening in Nashville food-wise right now, and I’m very thankful to be a part of it.
What’s one of the most interesting or memorable Nashville food finds you’ve experienced?
yay, fun post, annakate! my most recent nash find was mas tacos – a pretty crazy, but good, experience. i still have not been to city house though – need to get there asap.
Yes on City House. Belly Ham Pizza is a must!
Thanks Katelyn! I LOVE Mas Tacos. It’s such a hip little surprise nestled in the little shop it’s in. City House is worth a trip. The pizzas are out of control. Sit at the kitchen bar to see all the action if you go. And thanks again to Beth for the opportunity to write this!
Thanks Annakate! I can’t wait until I’m back on my feet again and able to do one of the tours!!
Great guest post! Thank you so much Annakate and Beth! I love the video. Would love to be able to do either of the tours, but especially the East Nashville tour!
Sign up, Susan! There are couple spots left in the East Nashville tour. :)
Great post, Annakate!
Thanks Keith! I LOVE doing these tours with Paulette. There’s so much wonderful stuff going on in the Middle Tennessee region. It’s fun to highlight it all.
I love finding more Nashville bloggers–thanks for featuring Annakate, Beth!
And a question to both of you: If you had to celebrate your birthday at one restaurant in Nashville (other than the Catbird Seat), which would you choose? Celebrating my last birthday in my 20s in just a couple weeks and have yet to decide where!
For a splurge, I’m definitely digging Kayne Prime these days. I can make a meal off of their kale salad and sides alone! Just took my friend from Chicago there when she was visiting a couple of weeks ago & she loved it.
I’m interested to see what Annakate’s choice is….
Good call. Haven’t been there yet, but I did LOVE Tavern’s brunch (upon your recommendation) and had a pretty tasty dinner/happy hour at Whiskey Kitchen last summer…
On a random aside: Any chance you’ll be at Affair to Care this Saturday?
Jeez that’s a tough one! Well, I absolutely LOVE City House. Not only do I love the food, but I really love the atmosphere. It’s so urban and loud in there. Definitely has a raucous, big-city vibe going on. There is nothing more depressing to me than an empty restaurant, and City House pretty much never has that problem since its layout makes it feel cozy and bustling even if it’s not a packed house. And the food! I love the pastas and pizzas, the specials are always interesting, and I love that things are so shareable. I’d gather a group of 8 or so friends, get a big table, order some wine and tons of small and medium plates, and let the laughing, sharing, and drinking begin! Plus I bet the kitchen might even do something special for you – not because they go all corporate for birthdays, but because they’re cool like that and seem to roll with things. I just love the vibe and attitude they have. I guess I just love dinner parties, and City House has a way of feeling like your own dinner party, but one you just show up to without any of the hassle!
And if you’re not up for a loud rowdy dinner, a quiet evening at Watermark (on the rooftop patio if it were warmer) would be divine. I’d wear a killer dress, order a bubbly cocktail, and enjoy a fantastic, elegant, sophisticated meal with someone special.
I love birthdays. Can you tell? Good luck! Report back where you choose!
LOVE the idea of this! Maybe I should bring it to Montana, since I no longer live in Nashville???
My mom is from Thailand, so I grew up at the international markets along Nolensville. I can still smell them…Haha! Seeing the video really did bring back fond memories of those markets, though. Thanks for posting!