Bryan August 2nd, 2008
Some friends asked me where I would like to have a birthday dinner. No hesitation… Chappy’s on Church. I’ve been wanting to eat there since I first heard about it. I’m not sure what it is about my palette that loves Creole and Cajun food. Must have had something to do with my trip to New Orleans when I was one.
Chappy is the Mobile, Alabama native who, in December 1984, opened up Chappy’s on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Almost 3 years ago, Chappy’s and his home were demolished by Hurricane Katrina.
Less than a year later, Chappy’s on Church opened in Nashville.
So, 7 friends, old and new, gathered last night at Chappy’s on Church for my birthday predinner.
House Salad with Creole Vinegarette. One taste of that tangy, spicy dressing and I knew I’d come to the right place.
Blackened Red Snapper with lumb crabmeat and rice. Melts in your mouth. It’s hard to find good Red Snapper inland, but I found some! Crowned with a glass of Concannon Pinot Nior.
Bread Pudding with Pecan Praline sauce. Wow!
Chappy visited our table twice during the evening. A delightful, neat guy. I’m glad you’re here Chappy!
Tags: Chappys, Creole
Bryan July 28th, 2008
Saturday, I spent my afternoon at Hilton Park and the Walk of Fame (located between the downtown Nashville Hilton and the Country Music Hall of Fame) for the 7th annual Music City Brewer’s Festival. There were around 40 different breweries there, and while due to the oppressive heat I was unable to be quite the connoisseur I’d like to be, I did make some notable discoveries.
Heck, even the newly Belgian Anheuser-Busch was there. 
I did generally have a good time, but I’ll make a few suggestions for the organizers
- The heat at the end of July in downtown Nashville is just horrendous. How about a cooler date?
- Musical entertainment was okay at best. How about an upgrade?
- Ticket taking. How difficult is it to check an ID and scan a barcode? An hour wait to get in just isn’t acceptable.
In spite of that, I’ll go again. I hung out with old friends and made some new ones (including Will, Vonnie and their friend Beth who I discovered I dated while in Ms. Cain’s 2nd grade class… LOL)
Bryan May 15th, 2008
My dear friend Stephen Felts first introduced me to the concept of farm friendly food a few years ago. Basically the idea is, the more you know who grows your food the more accountable they are to you. It’s making the food buying experience more relational instead of transactional.
Well, Stephen and his wife Danika have been working hard for a few years to start their own farm and they’re making progress! Now they are providing farm friendly food to others. And they just launched the Fresh Earth Farm and Orchards website this month.
I’ve personally tasted the fruits of their labors (zucchini and chicken among other things) and can tell you this is good stuff. I know they’ll have some whole chickens ready in the next few weeks, so if you’re in Middle Tennessee, be sure to call them up (or email them) and get some farm friendly goodness.
Oh and be sure to read all about the recent new additions to the farm.
And if you want to read more about the farm friendly food, check out Holy Cows And Hog Heaven: The Food Buyer’s Guide To Farm Friendly Food.
Tags: Farm Friendly Food, Fresh Earth Farm, Local Foods and Farms
Bryan July 2nd, 2007
I’ve got a new dairy section. Nope, a new Publix didn’t open up down the road. But a local dairy farmer did open a dairy store. And I just switched. Introducing the Hatcher Family Dairy Store, just 5 miles from my house. They sell non-homogenized Whole Milk, 2% and skim milk. Oh, and my favorite? The chocolate milk. They’re also selling jellies and cheeses from other local farms. Number of miles my milk travels from farm to my refrigerator? About 40 (our pesky state government still prohibits the sale of unpasteurized milk).
We all know the reasons behind supporting local businesses and farmers who are practicing sustainable business. But if you need a refresher, how about this:
- Reduce pollution. That’s right, it helps reduce pollution. The average food travels 1,500 miles from the farm to your table. That’s a lot of trucking, a lot of diesel, and a lot of pollution.
- Maintain green space. With increasing costs, lots of farmers are under pressure to sell their farms for development. Less profitable farms mean less green space.
- Accountability. How many of you know the farmer you get your food from? Remember that 1,500 miles your food travels to get to your table. How much do you think the farmer at the other end cares about you? How about the farmer you see and buy from every week? Who do you think has more accountability?
- Keep taxes low. Studies have shown that farms pay more in taxes than they consume in services. The equivalent developed neighborhood? The exact opposite.
So, if I’ve piced your interest and you want to find out more, try these links in the Tennessee area:
Pick Tennessee Products
Franklin Farmers Market
Nashville Farmers Market
Bryan January 28th, 2007
My friend Dixon Kinser posted this entry to his blog a few days ago:
Quoting Dixon quoting Jennifer Schrock from Simply in Season:
If I had to put what I believe about food and the environment into two words of advice, I would say this: Celebrate hope.
If
you can find a farm, a market, a store where you can see that love for
the earth and for future generations is a priority, sell all that you
have and buy their food. If you can find friendly faces in your local
food systems that are willing to go beyond public relations and discuss
tough questions, hug them! If you can smell the Spirit of God on their
sweet potatoes, buy 20 pounds! Eat those potatoes with gusto, thanking
God that someone, somewhere has a vision.
You are not consistent
in all areas of your life? Lord have mercy on you, a sinner: act on the
one thing you know. You can only afford one holy sweet potato and the
rest is boxed macaroni and cheese? Act on what you can afford. You will
love that sweet potato and the earth that grew it even more.
- Jennifer Schrock, Goshen, Ind.
In our microwave, pill-popping society, our food supply tries to deliver. Pesticides, unneeded antibiotics, genetic engineering, whatever it takes. You want strawberries in November? No problem, they’ve been sitting in a warehouse for a month since we got them from Chile. Our insistence on eating foods out of season (and oh by the way, it better be cheap) is harming our world. But the greatest damage being done is to ourselves. For an eyeopening look into our industrialized food system and the alternative (farm friendly food), a good quick read is Joel Salatin’s Holy Cows and Hog Heaven.
To test the alternative, try buying a few things from the Franklin Farmers Market or the farmers market nearest you. Get to know the people that grow your food.
By the way, my favorite farm is just a few miles away from me at Rocky Glade Farm.
Bryan January 16th, 2007
An enjoyable dinner at Calhoun’s in Pigeon Forge with some of my hiking friends. Activities ranged from discussion of cars catching on fire to a few games of thumb war with Luc. Kate joined in with rock,paper, scissors for several rounds.
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