West Knoxville, TN October 2025

Autumn in Motion

The destination is only part of the story. It’s the moments along the way that make it unforgettable. That’s why our in-house, independent experts are here—to help you find your path, and shape a legacy that lasts.

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With over 75 years of combined experience in cabinet refacing, K&P remodeling makes it easy to transform your kitchen just in time for the holidays. Whether you’re hosting festive dinners or welcoming out-of-town guests, we’ll ensure your space looks stunning—and the process stays stress-free. Let us help you unwrap afresh new look for your home this season!

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Hospitality Begins at Home

Everything I know about hospitality I learned at my sweet mother’s table. Janie May Clayton was a selftaught performance artist when it came to hosting groups of family and friends. She just knew how to make everyone feel welcome and wanted.

For me, that’s what hospitality is all about: feeding folks well and making sure they know I am glad they are sitting at our table—whether it’s Thanksgiving at our harvest table, or a summer potluck under tented picnic tables out by our pond. The gift of hospitality is another reason why I started my podcast, The Tennessee Farm Table, to hear from local folks who are experts on table talk.

You’d be hard put to find anyone who’s made welcoming folks to her restaurant a finer art than Mahasti Vafaei, who, along with co-owner Scott Partin, is celebrating 35 years of The Tomato Head (local patrons always drop “the”). The Harvest Moon rises in October, when chilly nights inspire homemade soups and holiday pies fresh from the oven. So, I sat down with Blackberry Farm’s Master Gardener, John Coykendall, for some pumpkin talk taken from his handwritten journals.

Who doesn’t love being catered to? This issue explores the family backstory of two of Knoxville’s premier caterers. One can even roll up to your event with a craft cocktail mobile unit. One can take your family recipe and serve it 26 stories in the sky. Real Good Kitchen’s Bailey Foster talks up Knoxville’s first food business incubator and upcoming Real Good Gathering.

We paid a visit to two neighboring towns—both day-trip worthy—small town fall festivals, holiday shopping, history tours and cultural performances all just 20 minutes away. Our PYA guest columnist reminds us that time together at the table means connection. And since the last day of the month is the witching hour, Knoxville History Project storytellers offer up a frontier fright tale.

It’s always a treat for us to host the best of our community on these pages each month. We hope you discover new ideas for enjoying our gorgeous East Tennessee fall with your family and guests you may be hosting. Celebrate the harvest season with delicious food and delightful drink, with the many excellent products and services our partners offer to make life happier, healthier and more enriching.

Cheers!

AMY CAMPBELL AND MARC ROCHELSON , PUBLISHERS

October 2025

PUBLISHER

Marc Rochelson | marc.rochelson@citylifestyle.com

MANAGING EDITOR

Amy Campbell | amy.campbell@citylifestyle.com

EDITORIAL COORDINATOR

Chelsea Babin | chelsea.babin@citylifestyle.com

COPY EDITOR

Matias Arredondo | matias.arredondo@citylifestyle.com

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Patricia Storm Broyles, Paul James, Caden Mumford

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

Shawn Poynter, Ben Finch, Katherine Birkbeck, Holly Rainey, Kara Hudgens, Amy Campbell, Library of Congress, Wes Hope

Corporate Team

CEO Steven Schowengerdt

COO Matthew Perry

CRO Jamie Pentz

VP OF OPERATIONS Janeane Thompson

VP OF SALES Andrew Leaders

AD DESIGNER Jenna Crawford

LAYOUT DESIGNER Kelsi Southard

QUALITY CONTROL SPECIALIST Brandy Thomas

Proverbs 3:5-6

Monday, Nov 17 – Maryville | 3:00 pm – 7:00 pm

Tuesday, Nov 18 – Powell | 1:00 pm – 6:00 pm

Wednesday, Nov 19 – Tellico village | 10:00 am – 4:00 pm

Thursday, Nov 20 – Cherokee plaza | 3:00pm – 7:00 pm

Enjoy exclusive savings when you attend one of our locations. Live demos at Powell, Tellico, & Maryville. Meet the experts behind your favorite treatments and products OUR BIGGEST SALE OF THE YEAR!

city scene

WHERE NEIGHBORS CAN SEE AND BE SEEN

1: Salon Aquarius and Cachepot in Bearden hosted a “Full Moon Market” on Sunday, Aug. 10 2: The market featured artists, jewelry makers, potters and craftspeople, including Jamie Sharp 3: Cachepot welcomed visitors with bundles of flowers 4: The Maryville Farmers Market celebrated its 20th anniversary on Aug. 23 at the Maryville College Downtown Center 5: Chef Jenna Baker was one of four participating chefs, along with partner Jason Beauty 6: A sold-out crowd celebrated the first 20 years of the Maryville Farmers Market 7: Stacey Busby organized the event, and DSB Provisions’ Dustin Busby was one of the chefs

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business monthly

Farragut West Knox Chamber Charity Gala for Alzheimer’s

The Farragut West Knox Chamber of Commerce invites you to attend their largest annual signature event—The Auction: Charity Gala & Dinner Affair. Thursday, Oct. 2, 6-9 PM, at The Venue at Lenoir City. 20% of item sales and 20% of net operating proceeds will be donated to two member nonprofits: Alzheimer’s Association Tennessee Chapter, and Alzheimer’s Tennessee. FarragutChamber.com .

Second Sunday Activities at KMA

On Sunday, Oct. 12, from 1-4 PM, enjoy a free, hands-on art activity with a certified art teacher at the Knoxville Museum of Art. And at 2 PM, join a teacher-led tour exploring the museum’s collection and temporary exhibitions. These 60-minute tours offer deeper insights into the art on display. Both events are free and open to the public. Learn more at KnoxArt.org

Sunset Shenanigans Cosmic Drive & Putt Challenge

On Oct. 20, the Sunset Shenanigans Cosmic Drive & Putt Challenge invites teams of four to compete in a glowing target golf and putting contest benefiting the McNabb Center. The evening begins with a happy hour reception at 6 PM, followed by two hours of gameplay starting at 7:15 PM. Proceeds support the McNabb Center’s essential behavioral health and social services across East Tennessee. McNabbFoundation.org

Want

Freaky Friday Fright Nite

Freaky Friday Fright Nite returns Oct. 24, 5-7 PM at Mayor Bob Leonard Park in Farragut. Kids 12 and under can trick-or-treat, play games and win prizes. Enjoy treats from local businesses and community groups. VisitFarragut.org .

Fall Festival and Plant Sale

The Knoxville Botanical Garden and Arboretum invites you to celebrate the harvest season with music, hands-on fall crafts, lawn games, hay rides, face painting, food, perennial plants for sale and many local and botanical artisan wares. Oct. 26, 1-5 PM, KnoxGarden.org .

Keep Knoxville Beautiful

From picking up litter along the Tennessee River to planting bulbs along the highway, Keep Knoxville Beautiful staff and volunteers work hard to make Knoxville a cleaner, greener and more beautiful place to live. Schedule a cleanup in your community, sign up for the newsletter, become a KKB sponsor, or find volunteer opportunities at KeepKnoxvilleBeautiful.org .

FAITH. FAMILY. FOOD.

Blending Deep-Rooted Values with Elevated Hospitality, Spaces in the City Redefines Events with Heart

ARTICLE BY PATRICIA STORM BROYLES PHOTOGRAPHY BY SHAWN POYNTER

“Being a restaurateur is one of the hardest careers. It’s not just a job—it follows you home, lives in your head and never really lets you clock out.” Demetrios (Demi) Klonaris, President of Spaces in the City, should know. He’s the son of Jim and Lori Klonaris, Knoxville’s esteemed restaurateurs for over 25 years, first, Farragut’s Kalamata Kitchen, then Café Four, now, Kefi, and Vida.

“I will know I’ve instilled in my kids our family’s values: an entrepreneurial spirit, a ‘hard work’ ethic and trustworthiness.” —Demi Klonaris.

An entrepreneur who calls his life and work ‘blessed and beautiful,’ Demi explains, “I had a privileged childhood, able to be by my parents’ side whenever I wanted, working alongside them. This experience gave me a deep appreciation for being part of something bigger than myself, a family business nurtured by an ownership mentality. I’ve had the opportunity to observe experiences beyond those typical for most nine-year-olds and to engage with people in the highly social, client-facing hospitality industry. I attribute my work ethic and business acumen to my parents.”

In 2016, after traveling to Greece, completing school in Boston, and exploring career opportunities in other industries, Demi returned to Knoxville with his wife, Maria, and their growing family. It wasn’t long before he found his way back to his roots in the restaurant world, managing Café 4 for his mother. “I

like to say I’m a restaurant kid who got lost along the way,” Demi laughs. “Food, beverage, and hospitality have always been important to me,” he says. “But I was looking for something a little different, a blend of office life, event life and restaurant life. Eventually, I found a way to bring it all together through event planning and venue management,” he says.

City Catering, full-service event caterers, evolved out of a conversation Demi initiated with his parents eight years ago. It’s under the family-owned corporate umbrella, Spaces in the City. This multi-venue/ hospitality services company with a staff of 300 also includes: restaurants Kefi and Vida; event venues

The Press Room, Jackson Terminal, and The Square Room; cocktail lounge The Vault; mobile cocktail trailer Absinthe Minded; and Demi’s newest concept, no-frills catering Drops!

Top (L-R): Aleko, Niko, John Dimond and Panagiotis Klonaris

Bottom: City Catering, full-service event caterers, evolved out of a conversation Demi initiated with his parents in 2016

“Where we once assumed event space management would be a nice revenue stream, it has become the driver, towering above our restaurants in revenue and growth.” Jackson Terminal, The Press Room, and The Square Room are the home venues, where groups rent space and City Catering hosts and caters. City Catering has also catered to 90 venues in the counties surrounding Knoxville. Their accelerated growth has emerged in a very competitive market. “This year we will do over 200 events in The Press Room alone and put on approximately 2200 events and caterings total.”

Starting modestly in 2016, Demi’s new enterprise purchased 730 North Broadway in 2017. “I am an entrepreneurial social experiment,” Demi laughs. “The best way to do entrepreneurship is with the safety net of parents with unconditional love. How blessed am I to have parents and mentors who believe in me, encouraging me with wisdom, financial help and sweat equity?” Demi and his cousins demoed the building themselves. “It was a blast. Then, Brownlee Construction built out this beautiful space that’s become Knoxville’s premier event space, The Press Room,” Demi explains. “That move solidified my place in our company as an event manager and gave me an ownership mentality. Before, I was an entrepreneur by association. Now, I was able to find entrepreneurship on my own.”

As the company was hitting its stride, Covid hit hospitality hard. “It was a tough time. My mom (she’s now a cancer survivor) was battling the disease. We had all these employees relying on us. But you persevere.” Demi now calls Covid the biggest blessing. With a third child on the way, he had more time to focus on his family. “Everything thrown at you is a blessing from God. You have to find it,” Demi believes. “We had the training ground for fine-tuning processes and learning how to run this business lean. After Covid, I ran it the way it should have been run from the start-up.”

“I was able to find entrepreneurship on my own. My parents believed in the lessons they instilled in me from a young age, trusting me to make decisions to take this business where I wanted it to go.” —Demi Klonaris.

That experience stirred ambitions to create something bigger. “Before, I was the owners’ kid who was given the keys to the kingdom. On the other side of Covid, I came out hungry for more, aware there was more to be had. We spent the next two years developing business, gaining back and building on our momentum.” Growth also came through the acquisition of three competitor caterers. Demi acquired needed assets for expansion (vans, equipment, facilities), including their renovated 6,500-square-foot headquarters on North Central, a 4,000-square-foot commissary, and a 2,000-square-foot warehouse.

City Catering originally focused on weddings, but soon realized there was a market demand for larger event management, such as nonprofit

galas and fundraising events. “I have such a heart for Knoxville’s philanthropic community of supporters. It’s amazing to get to host 40+ a year in my various spaces.” He adds it’s also a privilege to host corporate events, now a backbone of their business, so companies can treat employees, clients and community members. It's all about relationships, Demi says, adding his on-site and off-site planners have a knack for understanding and executing an event planner’s vision. “At the heart of our work is a simple philosophy I learned from my parents: stay humble and make others shine. Our goal is to deliver events so seamless and thoughtfully executed that planners can truly enjoy the moment. When their boss asks, ‘How did you pull this off?’ they can confidently say, ‘I’m just that good!’”

Spaces in the City’s corporate headquarters on North Central includes a commissary and warehouse with corporate staff of 300

City Catering’s core staff averages 100, staffing up seasonally to 130-140. “We have an amazing culture. We don’t do easy work, but we enjoy the tough nature of this business. Now Knoxville’s largest catering company, City Catering can handle your event at one of our beautiful venues, or anywhere you’d like. We take care of the food, drinks and service with a professional team and handle everything from decor  to every detail, making sure your event goes off without a hitch.”

Demi works with a leadership team of 12 office and executive staff, along with 16 managers and coordinators, from which innovative ideas emerge. “Absinthe Minded was a cool idea of Operations VP Chris Williams. We have a proprietary system to batch mass craft cocktails and keep them fresh for long periods of time. We created a mobile unit to serve craft cocktails that are pre-batched so you’re not waiting in long event lines.” Drops! is the newest concept–City Catering quality food in to-go packaging. Order online in an easy-to-use portal, and the catering staff sets it up. No-frills catering. “I came up with Drops! to compete in the market when people plan a small get-together–business

lunches, tailgating, baby showers–but don’t need total care, and it’s growing organically through word of mouth.”

“Things have truly fallen into place, and I credit that to my trust in God and my love for my family. For thirty-five years, my mom and dad have poured life lessons into me, and I like to think it was a good investment. Now I have a beautiful family of my own with my incredible wife, Maria. None of this would be possible without her unconditional love, trust, support and belief in me. It’s a rare gift having two smart, loving women in my life who continue to push me to be the man I’m meant to be.”

Demi says, “My goal is to honor my parents while also helping shape the next generation of hospitality in this town I love. When you think of eating out, hosting a private event, or feeding a crowd, I want you to think of Spaces in the City. And one day, if I am lucky, I’ll share some wisdom with my four kids, just like my mom and dad did with me: everything will just feel like a j-o-b until you can create, build, and have something of your own.”

Learn more at SpacesInTheCity.com

We are passionate about welcoming you and your guests with elegant exterior screen doors and window shutters that protect and beautify your home.

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SUNSPHERE EVENTS: RISING TO

Sunsphere Events is located on two floors—the sixth and eighth levels— of

Making Eventful Memories for Clients and Their Guests 26 Stories in the Sky

When asked why she thought the Sunsphere is such a special venue for important events, Donna Little Nussbaumer pauses before answering. “The 360-degree view is, of course, breathtaking, day and night. Where else could you get this panorama of our city?” the co-owner of Sunsphere Events continues. “But, a few weeks ago, a guest at an event said something so sweet I had never thought about.”

“You can look out these windows anywhere and find a memory.”

Towering 26 stories high in the East Tennessee sky, the iconic Sunsphere has become an instantly recognizable symbol of Knoxville since its original construction for the 1982 World's Fair (even making an appearance in The Simpsons episode, "Bart on the Road," later captured by Knoxville artist Paris Woodhull). For the past seven years, Donna and her team at Sunsphere Events (located on two floors—the sixth level for larger events and the eighth [top] floor for medium-sized groups), have been instrumental in inviting thousands of guests up to share the unparalleled view at every kind of corporate and social event, meanwhile steadily contributing to the economic growth of Knoxville's event and hospitality industry.

“That guest made such a great observation. Some couples choose us specifically for their wedding in order to have the University of Tennessee, where they met and fell in love, in the background for their ceremony and photos.”

“You can see it. Much of the event experience for a guest is walking the circumference of the floor and pointing out places on the UT campus, or downtown Knoxville, spreading out to surrounding neighborhoods, watching the light change on the Tennessee River, or gazing at the mountains as the moon rises. It’s true. There’s always something different to see that will pull a memory.”

“Our team, also led by Operations and Logistics Manager Danny Little and, new to our team, Sales and Marketing Manager Alicia Turner, works hard to make events as unforgettable for our clients and their guests as the views the Sunsphere offers and the personal memories they evoke,” Donna says.

Tailgating Parties: Eye Level with Touchdown Fireworks

In the fall, the vantage overlooking Neyland Stadium for a private tailgate party—whether a group of all-Vol fans, a company party, or an alumni reunion—kicks a game day up a notch. Multiple TVs are positioned, so guests can eat, drink and watch the game from anywhere on the floor. CONTINUED >

Sunsphere Events is a popular venue for special occasions: ‘big’ birthdays, anniversaries, bridal showers, or rehearsal dinners

“Some couples choose us specifically for their wedding in order to have the University of Tennessee, where they met and fell in love, in the background for their ceremony and photos.”

—DONNA LITTLE NUSSBAUMER.

“It’s such a unique fall treat to reward a sales team or plan a friends’ get-together without any of the prep and clean-up fuss of tailgating,” Donna says. “You can pick a package based on party size, and we create a really different kind of tailgate experience for your guests. And every time the touchdown canons go off,” she adds, “you are eye level in the sky with the fireworks.”

Holiday Parties: Up on the Rooftop with City Christmas Trees

“East Tennessee companies come to us for corporate events all year, and especially holiday parties, for a unique venue for their employees and customers,” Donna says. Both event floors are decorated throughout the holidays, while festive city lights and brightly lit rooftop Christmas trees paint a holiday picture in the night sky for guests to enjoy as they dine and celebrate throughout the evening.

“We make it so easy for event planners. They appreciate not having to worry about providing decorations or table holiday centerpieces. There’s a beautiful tree if the boss brings gifts for his staff. We set up our audiovideo equipment for a program or presentation. They truly need to bring and do nothing.”

Custom Catering: Grandma’s

Recipe Coming Right Up

Sunsphere Events’ in-house caterer is its sister company, Rosa’s Catering, which Donna explains, you contact directly to coordinate menus. If Rosa’s is booked, Donna can supply a list of approved caterers. For a specific ethnic or national cuisine, she works to accommodate individual preferences.

“As a custom caterer, Rosa’s Catering has a huge range of menus to choose from. But, something really special is that they have been known to take a family recipe, maybe from someone’s grandma, and make that dish for an event. It’s another way we respond to

custom requests to personalize and make it a one-of-akind event,” she adds.

Elevating New Year’s Eve

“Last year was our first New Year’s party, and we’re excited to welcome guests again to see in 2026.”  A live band, prime rib dinner, champagne toasts, swag bags and a post-midnight breakfast buffet made for a sold-out event.

“People had so much fun. Some folks purchased tables for their friends or their business. We limit the number of tickets, so the party is not crowded and everyone has plenty of room to dance and dine. We expect this year’s party to sell out again.”

Catering to Families’ Big Days

East Tennesseans head up to the Sunsphere for many reasons to celebrate life’s special occasions: the ‘big’ birthdays, anniversaries, bridal showers and rehearsal dinners. “Our in-house caterer already has such a great reputation in Knoxville,” Donna says. Phil Nussbaumer, her business partner and husband, took over running Rosa’s Catering in 1990, a business his mother started when he was five. “The 50+ years’ experience that Rosa’s brings to the table is huge. Nothing throws Phil, even when events get stressful for families or corporate event planners,” Donna laughs.

She explains that as she became interested in transitioning from corporate and property management, venue management was just a natural fit for them. “It allowed us to work together and gave me more flexibility to care for my mother and now my grandchild,” she says. The two companies work hand in hand. The coordinator for Rosa’s is on hand to jump in if the Sunsphere Events coordinator is busy. And the Sunsphere Events coordinator can do the same for Rosa’s, Donna adds. “It’s a seamless partnership working behind the scenes for our clients and their guests.”

“The 360degree view is, of course, breathtaking, day and night. Where else could you get this panorama of our city?”

“Love Lifts Us Up Where We Belong”

This seamless partnership started as a chance meeting.

“When my daughter turned 16, I had her sweet 16 birthday party at the Sunsphere. Phil catered it for the person who had the venue lease prior to us. When we met the first time, Phil asked what my daughter and I would want at the party. As a single mom, my budget wouldn’t begin to cover our requests. That sweet man worked it out to provide whatever my daughter wanted and even worked the event himself. So, being here now… It’s a special place in all our hearts. The Sunsphere brought us together.”

A year and a half after Donna and Phil met and married, in the midst of having conversations about adding venue management to their family businesses, the Sunsphere became available as a venue business. When Phil asked Donna which one she wanted of the options they had seen, she said without hesitation, “I really want the Sunsphere.”

While husbands often offer to try to get it for their wives, Phil actually reached out and got his bride the Sunsphere, the moon and the stars.

Learn more at SunsphereEvents.com and at RosasCatering.com

Parking note from Donna: park and exit the Locust Street Garage to the pedestrian walkway crossing over Henley Street, which brings you directly to the Sunsphere. It is handicapped accessible, with both a ramp and steps leading to the Sunsphere elevators.

Friday 11/7 @ Rocker Gallery in Sheffield, AL

8 pm Shovels & Rope

7 pm Joelton Mayfield

Saturday 11/8 at the farm in Waynesboro, TN

8 pm Breakfield

7 pm Billy Allen + the Pollies

6 pm Pine Hill Haints

5 pm Doc Dailey

4 pm Doors $50

THE TOMATO HEAD

MAHASTI VAFAIE CELEBRATES 35 YEARS CREATING A MARKET SQUARE MASTERPIECE

ARTICLE AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY AMY CAMPBELL

People who love really good, fresh food and local visual artists have a special place in their heart for The Tomato Head and Mahasti Vafaie. Since 1990, Mahasti was a farm-to-table Medici, who, while offering fresh-local-ingredients, made-fromscratch cuisine at her Market Square restaurant, also turned her walls into an art gallery to exhibit local artists. Amy Campbell, one of those artists, has been a big fan of dining at The Tomato Head for decades. She caught up with Mahasti one afternoon to paint with broad strokes her 35 years creating a business–and a close-knit community–on Market Square.

HOW DID YOU DECIDE TO OPEN A RESTAURANT IN KNOXVILLE?

I was down in New Orleans with my mom on vacation. In a restaurant bathroom there was a display of an article about the lady who owned it. Right then and there I decided I would come back to Knoxville and open a restaurant. It wasn't like a longterm plan or vision or goal that I've had all my life. I was just like, Yeah, that's what I'm gonna do!

WHY MARKET SQUARE IN 1990?

I worked in restaurants since I was 16 to pay for college. I knew how much work it was, and I didn't really want to work that much! I had worked at Piccolo's on Union. We’d come down to Market Square, although we were a little afraid to go at night because it was kind of scary, to a little Greek restaurant, Peroulas, to get food. So, I knew about Market Square and I knew that nothing happened at night and on weekends. Everybody went home. I thought, ‘Okay that's where I need to find a spot. I can work Monday through Friday 9 to 2 and not kill myself.’

I looked around Market Square and peeked in the windows of a building I could tell had been a restaurant. I saw a little old man, tapped on the window, and he let me in. He was Turkish and took a liking to me. The place had a pizza oven and I told him, ‘Take the pizza oven out and I'll rent it.’ He said, ‘I'm not taking the pizza oven out.’ So, he rented the building to me cheap for three months and I cleaned and painted. I had never worked the back of the house. My friend and chef, Freddie Booker, helped me design the menu, order my first round of ingredients, and showed me how to make dough. My first hire was David Chambers, who worked for a national pizza franchise, and taught me everything I know about pizza. We

“When you’re making a sandwich, the bread is the centerpiece. All the other is secondary. So, your bread has to be good.”

started with 12 tables and business was really slow. The only reason we actually had any customers was because Whittle Communications was here. They were the only people brave enough to come in here because it was a little bit ‘whack!’ So, that's how it got started.

HOW DID YOUR BUSINESS GROW?

It was just me, David, Heidi and Rebecca, working weekdays for the first several months. A friend of ours, Jay Beasley, who had started working with us, said, ‘Let's open for dinner.’ I laughed and asked if he’d ever been around at night. And he said, ‘I'll put flyers up all over Fort Sanders and people will come.’ We did and for two or three Fridays, not a single soul showed up. Then one Friday night one couple came, Jo Anderton and Parham Cain, my first dinner customers. They showed up the next Friday with a group of friends and started helping build our dinner business by word of mouth and became really close friends. Our Friday nights got busy and then friends of Exit 65 The Band asked us to open on Saturday nights. So, we opened for dinner every Friday and then every other Saturday night with music. Gradually, we added every Saturday, then Thursdays. And, now we're open all the time.

THEN A SECOND LOCATION WEST IN THE GALLERY SHOPPING CENTER AND FLOUR HEAD

BAKERY. TELL US ABOUT THE BAKERY. When I first opened, there were minimums with bread vendors that were a lot for us, so I started making our bread by hand, which was crazy. We made our pizza dough with our mixer, but for some reason I couldn’t figure out how to make our bread in the mixer, so I took a class at the Culinary Institute to learn how to make bread with a mixer.

A bakery space on Middlebrook Pike opened up and we started baking. My initial idea was I would just bake for us. I had no plans to bake for anybody else. Then Stock and Barrel brought back a bun from Nashville and asked, ‘Can you make this bun?’ So, we started baking for them. Then Alamo Steakhouse asked if we could make their dinner rolls. Now we're a wholesale bakery!

I fell in love with baking at some point. It's my passion and I love it. It’s so much fun.

WHAT

MAKES THE TOMATO HEAD MENU SPECIAL?

We have pizza, obviously, salads, and sandwiches and everything's made in-house. Flour Head Bakery makes our pizza dough, bread, cookies, and pies. We have an amazing prep crew, so everything is made from scratch and fresh to order. We don't pre-make anything. From the start, I said we’re going to do substitutions, so you get to eat what you want the way you want it and it’ll be made fresh just for you.

YOU’VE EMPLOYED SO MANY YOUNG ARTSY PEOPLE AND SUPPORTED LOCAL ARTISTS WITH EXHIBITS.

Those are the people that I've always been attracted to. Initially, most everybody here was an art student. It’s still great, just different people. It was fun and such a pleasure. I don't have an artistic bone in my body, but I love and appreciate good art. And it really came out of not having any money to decorate … so I decided to get some art students to put art up on the walls. So that's how that came about. Some of the best shows I've seen have been here at Tomato Head.

FOR

35 YEARS, YOU’VE DEMONSTRATED YOUR GIFT FOR CREATING COMMUNITY.

We've had so many people meet here, have their first dates here, propose here. So many of our past employees are married and have children. It's really sweet.

It’s been a huge part of my life. I love being able to provide food for nonprofits like WDVX and WUOT and their guests and volunteers working the fundraisers. Especially, now they need our support more than ever, and we love doing it.

I feel really fortunate to have met so many of my customers. I don't think that’s typical. Everybody I know I've met through the restaurant. In the very early days, everybody in the dining room seemed to know each other. People would just get up and mingle and talk to each other, their kids would run around, and I got to know everybody. It was just a very special environment. We’ve had so many amazing employees come through here and so many amazing customers … people who all really care about what we do here.

TheTomatoHead.com

A PERFECT PARTNERSHIP

Mahasti Vafaie and Scott Partin, Co-Owners, The Tomato Head

When I first opened, I had never balanced my checkbook. I didn't know how to reconcile a bank statement! I'm very much by the seat of my pants, gut feeling kind of person. My husband and co-owner, Scott, has an MBA, so his brain works in that way, so that’s his thing. We’re the perfect match.

Real Good Kitchen Foundation

Start Small, Take the Next Step, Make a Change

ARTICLE BY AMY CAMPBELL | PHOTOGRAPHY BY HOLLY RAINEY, KARA HUDGENS

Make Change Through Food is the real short and sweet tagline of Real Good Kitchen, which has served over a hundred start-up food businesses in East Tennessee in almost five years. Real Good Kitchen Foundation is hosting a fundraising evening, Real Good Gathering, on Oct. 23. Founder Bailey Foster shares details about the work of the kitchen and the foundation, and the vision of a better food system for everyone, including food entrepreneurs, those who are food insecure, and those who appreciate and seek out a good meal.

WHAT IS REAL GOOD KITCHEN?

Real Good Kitchen is a shared commercial kitchen (Knoxville’s first), and we style ourselves as a food business incubator, meaning we have a kitchen facility where folks pay for their use of the space and storage by the hour in

monthly packages. We make commercial kitchen equipment and commercial permitted kitchen space available in a co-working arrangement for food businesses.

The advantage of that, for anyone who knows about food businesses and restaurants, is that there are many rules, expensive equipment, and infrastructure to consider. Many times, when people are getting started, they don't even know if it's really what they want to do.

We help folks find that intersection of passion and opportunity so they can figure out what they're uniquely bringing and how they're going to do it. We help them with a longer runway to hopefully build a sustainable business. I always tell everybody who comes in, ‘Start as small as you can, try something, take the next step, make a little change.’ There's just no alternative to putting in the work.

“Our tagline is exactly what I want it to be: Make Change Through Food— through the lens of food, doing everything we can to create more equity and opportunity in the food industry.”

—Bailey Foster.

CAN YOU DESCRIBE THE WORK OF REAL GOOD KITCHEN FOUNDATION?

We opened in January 2021, so we're in year five now, which is a little hard to believe. We've always provided support. That’s what the incubator part is about—helping people start and grow businesses. We’ve always been very resource-intensive to provide individual support, connecting entrepreneurs with resources beyond the facility.

Real Good Kitchen Foundation makes it possible to take a more programmatic approach to that support. Our food business basics course teaches foundational concepts that folks need to know to take their idea or existing hobby into a business.

The food business incubator program is a more full-scale approach to business education. We bring underserved and marginalized entrepreneurs into a cohort to go through a curriculum. They're then able to come into the kitchen at reduced cost and continue with that ongoing individual support that is very important. Throughout that whole process, a community is built. Food is the lane, but I can't say how important the community that is built around Real Good Kitchen has become—especially for a community that was splintered.

The foundation allows us to provide resources in a more sustainable way. Real Good Kitchen and Real Good Kitchen Foundation are great partners for the community. We make a broad spectrum of resources available, whether folks are ready to use the kitchen, just exploring their ideas, or already have a business they're trying to grow. For the first time, we’ve broken out our food business basics course into workshops called deeper dives: going more deeply in certain areas, like marketing and social media, where folks are interested in growing.

Our tagline is exactly what I want it to be: Make Change Through Food—through the lens of food, doing everything we can to create more equity and opportunity in the food industry. We’re working on the capacity to provide the kinds of technical assistance businesses need to commit to taking SNAP. Through the foundation, we have a partnership with United Way, the Healthy Food Financing Initiative, that is helping bring healthy food into underserved neighborhoods through food enterprise and food retail.

TELL US ABOUT THE 2ND ANNUAL REAL GOOD GATHERING.

We sold out last year. This year, Trevor Stockton of RT Lodge will be cooking, also Laurence Faber of Potchke Deli, and a

number of other folks. We're also proud to be able to bring fivetime James Beard award-nominated Chef Katie Button, who has Asheville-based Cúrate, as the keynote speaker. We want to bring the community together, let folks taste great food from wellknown chefs—chefs working out of Real Good Kitchen, and chefs going through our incubator program—while we also raise money to keep our foundation going.

Knoxville is a maker community, a collaborative, information-sharing community, a place where you can start businesses. We have wonderful support from our founding sponsor, the Lawson Family Foundation, and a great partnership with Pathway Lending, our primary partners on our programs.

We want to continue to respond to the needs and strengthen opportunities in the food industry, build sustainable businesses, which in the end helps us all eat better, and come together as we celebrate the diversity of food culture we have here.

Information and tickets at RealGoodKitchenFoundation.org Listen to the full podcast at TennesseeFarmTable.com.

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ARTICLE BY PAUL JAMES

PHOTOGRAPHY BY PROF. BEAUVAIS LYONS, LIBRARY OF CONGRESS

The Creature of the Cumberlands:

A Strange Bird or Something Else Entirely?

“It had only two legs and stood almost upright, covered with scales of a black, brown and light yellow color in spots like rings; a white tuft on the top of its head, about four feet high; a head as big as a two-pound stone and large eyes, of a fiery red.”

Currently, the most popular episode in Knoxville History Project’s podcast series, Knoxville Chronicles, is the story, “Creature of the Cumberlands,” written by Jack Neely and read by Alex Haralson. It’s not a Halloween-related story, but it’s a bizarre, autumnal, spooky tale from the frontier days before Tennessee was even a state.

Neely’s account is based on a short news item that first appeared in the Knoxville Gazette in early 1794, which was also picked up by other state newspaper publishers, and internationally, too.

The Derby Mercury was one overseas paper that ran the story and, as Neely writes, “For thousands of people in Great Britain, it may have been their introduction

to the new word Knoxville.” What’s astonishing to me is that Derby is my hometown! And back then, on the masthead of the Derby Mercury, it even states that the publisher, John Drewery, had his print shop “In the Irongate,” a street with which I’m most familiar. Irongate is a short, partly cobblestoned street that extends from Derby’s downtown Market Place up to the Cathedral, which dates back at least a couple of hundred years before the date of our Tennessee story. Growing up in Derby, I’ve walked those streets many times.

What the citizens of Derby or Knoxville made of the story is impossible to know. What is known is that in February 1794, something very odd appeared before a

small unit of mounted infantrymen who were riding through an area named Cove Creek, some “15 miles into the Cumberland Mountains.” The party was in search of hostile Indians, for relations between white settlers and native Cherokees and Creeks were still highly fraught. Being of a rather common name for a stream, it’s hard to say with any certainty where this Cove Creek was. But it was likely somewhere west of Knoxville and north of the old Cumberland Road that wound its way through what we know today as the area near Crab Orchard and Crossville, and onward to Nashville.

Knoxville was then the capital of the Southwest Territory, and the incident occurred only two years after Governor William Blount built his frame house overlooking the Tennessee River, reputedly known to the Cherokee as the “House with Many Eyes,” due to their fascination with the first windowpanes that they had ever seen. Today, Blount Mansion is Knoxville’s only National Landmark. Gov. Blount, himself, may have read this story in the Knoxville Gazette.

Two men were named in the party: Captain John Beard, who served in Gen. John Sevier’s militia, and one Ensign McDonald, who was sent ahead of the scouting party. What McDonald and then the entire group saw was so staggeringly strange to them that nothing on the frontier resembled it. Capt. Beard described it thus:

“It had only two legs and stood almost upright, covered with scales of a black, brown and light yellow color in spots like rings; a white tuft on the top of its head, about four feet high; a head as big as a twopound stone and large eyes, of a fiery red.” CONTINUED >

“Nordic Hare Falcon,” an Ornithological quadruped by Chancellor’s Professor Beauvais Lyons. (Courtesy of Beauvais Lyons)

Beard added, “It stood about three minutes in a daring posture… Mr. McDonald advanced, and struck at it with his sword, when it jumped at least eight feet, and let on the same spot of ground, sending forth a red kind of matter out of its mouth, resembling blood, and then retreated into a laurel thicket, turning around often as if it intended to fight.”

Beard also described the creature’s footprints as resembling “those of a goose, but larger.”

Although they had no means of reference, they must have talked about it with some friendly natives who “report that a creature inhabits that part of the mountain… which, by its breath, might kill a man, if he does not instantly immerse himself in water.”

Could it have been a bird, maybe a really large vulture? Those birds are known to regurgitate their last meal when they’re stressed. Having served as the director at Ijams Nature Center for many years and having personally handled a turkey vulture on a glove, I can personally attest to that fact. What a vulture coughs up can be pretty vile. If not a vulture, how about the hawk-like Crested

ABOUT KHP

caracara, perhaps? However, they primarily reside in Florida and the southwestern United States.

A related species, the Guadalupe caracara, was particularly hostile to goat populations on Mexico’s Guadalupe Island off Baja California. Desperate farmers, who considered it extremely vicious, hunted it to extinction around 1900.

We can’t possibly know what these soldiers saw that day over two hundred years ago. But there is a Knoxville artist who may already have unwittingly conjured up something similar in his own imagination—Chancellor’s Professor Beauvais Lyons, divisional dean for the Arts and Humanities at UT. Aside from being a renowned printmaker, Lyons also draws fantastical creatures as part of his “Hokes Archives” and “Association for Creative Zoology” exhibitions. “Nordic Hare Falcon,” struck me as bearing an uncanny similarity to what those military scouts may have witnessed back in 1794. What do you think?

You can find drawings like these by Beauvais Lyons at PrintCenter.org/90th/lyons and the “Creature from the Cumberlands” podcast episode by searching for “Knoxville Chronicles” on your preferred podcast app.

The nonprofit Knoxville History Project tells the city’s stories, focusing on those that have not been previously told and those that connect the city to the world. Donations to support the work of the Knoxville History Project, an educational nonprofit, are always welcome and appreciated. Learn more at KnoxvilleHistoryProject.org .

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PICK A KENTUCKY FIELD PUMPKIN for a better pie

NOTES FROM BLACKBERRY FARM’S MASTER GARDENER JOHN COYKENDALL’S ‘STORY BANKS’ JOURNAL

ARTICLE AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY AMY CAMPBELL

Left: John Coykendall's sketches from his journal documenting an old-fashioned method of preserving winter vegetables and storing hay

It’s confusing. We go to big box stores or grocery stores in the fall, and there are those little pumpkins with a sign that says, “Pie Pumpkins.” But I have my doubts.

At every Thanksgiving table, there are diehard fans who insist on finishing off the big day with a big slice of pumpkin pie. We’re all busy. So, when we’re planning our meals, especially a huge holiday meal that takes days to prepare, canned pumpkin and a ready-made pie shell are a big draw.

I’ve sat at lots of Thanksgiving tables of friends and family, and whether it’s freshly puréed or canned pumpkin, it makes a difference in the taste of a successful pumpkin pie. There’s no shame in making a pumpkin pie from ingredients pulled right off the grocer’s shelf. I’ve done it, and it turns out just fine. With enough whipped cream, even compliment-worthy.

However, if you’re a person with the time and the culinary curiosity and inclination to elevate your pumpkin pie this season, you might appreciate some advice from an expert on heirloom fruit.

John Coykendall is a Seed Saver, a Master Gardener at Blackberry Farm, a friend of 20 years, and a frequent contributor to this magazine and my radio show and podcast, The Tennessee Farm Table. John is known as a purist when it comes to bringing fresh-grown food to the table. How that food got started matters. John “story banks,” meaning he visits with people with old-time knowledge—farmers, seed savers and people whose irreplaceable field expertise is quickly disappearing.

John documents the stories from his visits and draws illustrations in composition books. He’s amassed countless composition books of stories and drawings over the years.

Never without a pencil in his overall pocket, John sharpens it with his knife while he listens intently to the people he visits.

I always have questions for John in the fall. This year, what’s the best pumpkin to use for a slice of pie that people just might rave about until next Thanksgiving?

According to John, “You want to use a Kentucky Field Pumpkin. We grew them at the farm last year. The type you buy in the store for jack-o'-lanterns typically has thin meat and is watery, with little to no taste. Now there are good pie pumpkins out there, but for the best taste, the Kentucky Field Pumpkin.”

The seed stock that he used to grow field pumpkins, as illustrated in his journal, originally came from Miller’s Cove in Blount County. Unlike the round ones we choose for carving, his sketch notes the heirloom pumpkin’s pear shape. The Kentucky Field Pumpkin can be found in the fall months at fruit stands in our area. Weighing 10–15 pounds, with a dull orange color or sometimes a light orange hue, it produces a substantial amount of thick flesh and a sweet, nutty flavor, perfect for roasting, making pies, and puréeing and freezing for future use. Processing the pumpkin is a fairly easy process. This method works well without having to peel the pumpkin.

Kentucky Field Pumpkin Pie

TOOLS YOU NEED:

• A large sheet pan that will accommodate two halves of one pumpkin, and ½ inch of water

• A large, sharp knife

• An ice cream scooper or a big spoon

• A cutting board

• An oven at 350°

DIRECTIONS

1. Wash the outside of the pumpkin with dish soap and sudsy water, and dry with a dish towel.

2. Cut the pumpkin once, crosswise, into two even halves.

3. Scoop the seeds and membrane out with an ice cream scoop. Save the seed for roasting or dry them and store them to grow pumpkins in your garden in the spring.

4. Place cut-side down on the baking sheet, place in a hot oven, and pour water into the pan until it is about ½ inch all around the pumpkin.

5. Allow the pumpkin to cook 34–40 minutes until it is soft to the touch. Do not overcook.

6. Remove from oven and cool in the refrigerator.

7. After the pumpkin is cool enough to handle, scoop the flesh from the skin into a large bowl.

8. Purée in batches in the blender until it has the consistency of canned pumpkin.

Use any canned pumpkin pie recipe you like, substituting the fresh puréed pumpkin.

Divide the remaining puréed pumpkin into two-cup portions and place them in quart-sized freezer bags. Freeze until needed for the next pie. Will keep in freezer for 3 to 4 months.

Dying Without a Will in Tennessee: e Surprising Truth

Many people believe that if they die without a will, their property will automatically go to the “right” people. In reality, Tennessee law, and not your personal wishes, decides what happens. When a Tennessee resident dies without a valid will, their estate is distributed under the state’s intestacy statutes. ese laws establish a specific order for who inherits your assets, starting with your surviving spouse and children, then moving to other relatives if no spouse or children are living. Friends, unmarried partners, and charities you care about are excluded unless they are named in a valid will.

Tennessee law also determines who can serve as the personal representative of your estate if you haven’t chosen one in advance with a valid will. is could result in someone you wouldn’t have picked being responsible for managing your a airs, paying your debts, and distributing your property. e consequences of dying without a will can be significant. Your assets may not go to the people you intend. Likewise, family disagreements can arise over property and who should handle the estate. In addition, the probate court process may take longer and cost more without clear instructions.

By Julie D. Eisenhower, Esq. Master Certi ed Estate Planner ® PATEL & EISENHOWER, PLLC

ese problems are avoidable. By creating a valid will, you can decide who inherits your property, who manages your estate, and how your a airs are handled. A well-dra ed will ensures that your wishes are honored, reduces stress for your loved ones, and makes the legal process smoother a er your passing. Business Law & Contracts, Estate Planning, Trusts, & Probate, Elder Law & Conservatorships, Personal Injury Law & Civil Litigation Insurance Litigation, Copyright & Trademark 217 S Peter Rd. Knoxville, TN 37923 865-217-1154 | PatelEisenhower.com

feed your Relationships

Jesus Christ and his disciples. The Wampanoag Native Americans and the pilgrims. Jeff Bezos’ wedding guests. You and your spouse, two Saturdays a month. Separated by thousands of years, cultures and fortunes, these groups appear to share nothing at all— except one universal act: the act of breaking bread.

I am certainly not equating the Last Supper with my Saturday night date (apologies to my wife), but I am drawing attention to the fact that special things happen when people share a meal. The “share” part of that sentence is particularly important. While you might be physically sharing food with others, what you truly share is your time—humanity’s most valuable resource. If the act of eating were simply about consuming the calories and nutrients needed for survival, the restaurant industry would collapse, and we’d all be eating military MREs. Sure, sometimes we choose to eat out for convenience, or because it presents a chance to partake in elevated cuisine beyond what we can make at home. But we all know that the real draw to sitting down to eat a meal with somebody else is that, for a few minutes, we have an excuse to enjoy a meaningful connection.

When you think about it, some of the most important events in our lives incorporate a meal. Weddings nearly always provide guests with dinner. Thanksgiving is a holiday where a meal is the star of the show. We take communion at church in remembrance of the most famous meal of all time. What do we do for people who are sick, newly minted parents, grieving for a loved one, or brand new on the block? We bring them a meal. When you get back from a trip, one of the first questions you hear is most likely, “How

was the food?” The list could continue with one hundred more examples, but I’ve made my point. When a significant event happens, food is most likely present. A meal is so much more than a quick dopamine hit for your taste buds—it can be the anvil on which relationships are forged and strengthened.

So, if time is our most precious and finite resource, and a meal enjoyed with others fabricates a special connection due to that time being shared, should we not therefore make a conscious effort to recognize and cherish that significance? Starting about a year ago, every time I enter a restaurant—whether it’s with family, friends, or for work—I power my cell phone off and put it away once I sit down (or better yet, leave it in the truck). An act as simple as this made all the difference. My conversations became deeper, and the dining experience was heightened. If your cell phone isn’t a distraction, the challenge for you may be keeping your mind focused on the present instead of letting your thoughts drift away to work, your plans for tomorrow, or something else entirely unrelated. I’d encourage you to be intentional about the time spent with others while enjoying a meal. Do this once a day, 365 days a year, over the rest of your life, and watch the compounding effect it has on your relationships.

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But we all know that the real draw to sitting down to eat a meal with somebody else is that, for a few minutes, we have an excuse to enjoy a meaningful connection.

REVITALIZING THE HEART OF Historic Downtown Clinton

24th Clinch River Antique Fall Festival Kicks Off Holiday Season

ARTICLE BY PATRICIA STORM BROYLES PHOTOGRAPHY BY KATHERINE BIRKBECK

Katherine Birkbeck

Historic Downtown Clinton

Executive Director

Katherine was an investor in Historic Downtown Clinton with her photography and event business before becoming its executive director. “My skill sets and experiences, a master’s in professional grant-writing, my photography and marketing expertise all came together for this position.” The wife of an Atlanta native, whom she convinced to move back to her hometown, and mother of twins, Katherine is passionate about historic preservation.

For nearly 25 years, thousands of savvy antique shoppers from across the country have flocked to the small town of Clinton in May and October for the Clinch River Antique Festival. This year’s fall festival, Oct. 3-4, will be a bit different, according to Historic Downtown Clinton Executive Director Katherine Birkbeck. The heart of the festival, Market Street, where shoppers stroll through antique stores and street vendors showcasing vintage finds, artisan treasures, collectibles and handcrafted goods, is undergoing street infrastructure improvements.

“The improvements will also transform our ‘town square’ with enhanced landscaping with wall seats, and wider ADA-compliant sidewalks with ramps and steps incorporated into business entrances for easier entry. It’s going to be more pedestrian-friendly and comfortable with more mature shade trees, retaining the small town, homey, friendly atmosphere Clinton is known for,” Katherine explains.

During construction, fall festival guests can still shop over 100 antique and artisan dealers in the Antique District and close by in the Commerce Street parking lot. Adjacent Hoskins Park hosts an inspiration garden, with furniture and tablescapes, ideas for entertaining and demonstrations with something visually engaging every hour of the festival. Parking is free.

Under Katherine’s leadership, Clinton was designated a Tennessee Main Street program, becoming part of the national Main Street program, dedicated to revitalizing downtowns and neighborhood commercial districts. Securing hundreds of thousands in grants, Katherine and her team have restored historic buildings; recruited food and beverage vendors (a craft brewery coming soon); added events, Sip of Summerfest and Mosaic Art Festival to the antique festivals; developed a 50-site historic walking tour; and created a high school youth board involved in projects like the storybook trail. “Students helping to revitalize their hometown inspires our whole community.”

Visit Knoxville’s neighbor, 24-ish miles to the north. Reward your inner foodie with local homemade goodness. Take historic walking tours (don’t miss Terrapin Hill, where pre-dam backwaters flooded and stranded turtles on their back). Enjoy the antiquing, holiday market, open house and cookie crawl. Discover treasures you only find in a small town devoted to preserving its 200-year-old history.

Visit HistoricDowntownClinton.org

ANTIQUING

Antique lovers who know their stuff shop Historic Downtown Clinton’s Antique District all year long–not just the Spring and Fall Clinch River Antique Festivals. Shoppers enjoy chatting with The Antique Merchants Guild of Clinton, who eat, sleep and breathe the history and value of American and European handcrafted furniture, decor, collectibles, art and furnishings.

FOOD & BEVERAGE

Eateries can date back to 1930, like Hoskins Drug Store with its original soda fountain, serving hamburgers, malts and blue-plate specials, to chefs in new spaces like family-owned Hamock’s with Darlene’s famous chicken salad, or Norris’ Chunky Monkey Ice Cream and coffees, to new cafés and bakeries, Little Birds Macarons and Happi Hostess. Winding Waters craft brewery opens soon!

SHOPPING

Shopping local in Historic Downtown Clinton means taking home treasures you won’t find anywhere else! Whether it’s Americana vintage decor, handcrafted artisan goods, art galleries, boutique fashion, or mercantile gift shops, locally owned stores offer oneof-a-kind charm and East Tennessee hospitality. Many downtown shops are also just a click away online.

HISTORICAL TOURS

Discover the stories behind Historic Downtown Clinton with family-friendly self-guided Walking Tours following 70 historic markers. Explore charming streets and historic landmarks, like the Dutch Colonial Kincaid House, formerly known as Brownworth Manor, built in the 1930s. Townie’s Tale features an art installation of Townie Terrapin with a storybook trail about Clinton’s history.

FESTIVALS/EVENTS

Year-round events showcase Clinton’s heritage and the folks who live there. The antique festival is a two-day event featuring over 100 antique and artisan vendors. The spring Mosaic Festival is a performing arts celebration with Clinton schools. August’s beer-tasting Sip of Summerfest and annual Christmas parade bookend the best of a small town with a big personality.

PRESERVATION

Historic Downtown Clinton is in the middle of its biggest revitalization yet. A designated Tennessee Main Street program, it’s garnering state and national support to restore the downtown district. Ten historic buildings are currently under renovation. Discover this charming little town, named in 1809 for George Clinton, America’s only vice-president to two presidents, Jefferson and Madison. Follow on IG @historicdowntownclintontn.

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2025

events

A SELECTION OF UPCOMING LOCAL EVENTS

OCTOBER 3RD

Kerbela Shriners Circus

Thompson Boling Arena at Food City Center | 5:00 PM

The Shriner Circus returns to Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center, Oct. 3-5. Enjoy thrilling performances, family fun and unforgettable excitement. Don’t miss this spectacular event. Tickets available at FoodCityCenter.com.

OCTOBER 3RD

Sailing: Soft Rock Hits of the 70s & 80s

Knoxville Symphony Orchestra | 8:00 PM

The waters are smooth, and the drinks are chilled, so slip on your Top-Siders and come aboard for an evening of hits made famous by Christopher Cross, Toto, Dan Fogelberg and more. Tickets available at KnoxvilleSymphony.org.

OCTOBER 9TH

BOO! At The Zoo

Knoxville Zoo | 5:30 PM

BOO! at the Zoo is Knoxville’s biggest Halloween tradition, with trick-or-treating, spooky trails, a haunted cemetery, and seasonal treats—perfect for families looking for festive, not-too-scary fun. Oct. 9-12, 16-19, & 23-26, 5:30-8 PM. Tickets and information available at ZooKnoxville.org.

OCTOBER 10TH

Taste of Turkey Creek Benefiting the Pat Summitt Foundation

Turkey Creek | 6:00 PM

Taste of Turkey Creek returns to the Pinnacle at Turkey Creek. Taste of Turkey Creek brings together local restaurants, chefs, and food vendors for an evening filled with flavor, fun, live music, and community for a great cause. Oct. 10, 6-9 PM. Tickets available soon. PinnacleTurkeyCreek.com.

OCTOBER 11TH

Loudon K9 Annual “Paws & Boots” Charity Dinner

The Lyric Theatre | 5:30 PM

Loudon K9 Paws and Tails annual charity dinner is Oct. 11 at 5:30 PM for “Paws & Boots” at The Lyric Theatre. Enjoy BBQ, live music, dancing, games, silent auction, and more. Tickets $75. Proceeds benefit Loudon K9 Paws & Tails. LoudonK9PawsAndtTails.org.

OCTOBER 12TH

Amadeus Concert Ensemble: Polish Classics

Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus | 5:30 PM

The 2025–2026 season of free concerts, conducted by ACE Artistic Director Brian Salesky, has been announced as part of the Cathedral Concert Series. The season will open with a themed performance, Polish Classics, on Oct. 12. For more information: SHCathedral.org.

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OCTOBER 14TH

Knoxville Jazz Orchestra Presents Satchmo Swings With Byron Stripling

Bijou Theatre | 8:00 PM

Trumpeter Byron Stripling, world-renowned for his electrifying tributes to Louis Armstrong, opens the 2025-26 season with the KJO Big Band—blending dazzling trumpet, jazzy vocals, and irresistible charm. Doors open at 7 PM and show at 8 PM KnoxBijou.org.

OCTOBER 16TH

KSO’s Elgar Cello Concerto

Tennessee Theatre | 7:30 PM

KSO’s October Masterworks features Stravinsky’s Petrushka (1947), Zlatomir Fung in Elgar’s Cello Concerto, and the Tennessee premiere of Meilina Tsui’s Floridian Symphony. Presented with support from the Toulmin Foundation Commissions Program. Oct. 16-17 at 7:30 PM Tickets available at TennesseeTheatre.com.

OCTOBER 23RD

Annual Hallo-Week at Ijams

Ijams Nature Center | 7:30 PM

Ijams Nature Center invites the community to celebrate the fun of fall during the second annual Hallo-week, a series of festive programs for all ages taking place October 23–30. Register for daily events at Ijams.org.

OCTOBER 24TH

Humane Society 140th Anniversary Fundraising Gala: Night At The Speakeasy

Bridgewater Place | 6:00 PM

Enjoy a night out for the Humane Society of the Tennessee Valley's 140th annual fundraising gala. The event will celebrate the mission the society has been serving for over 140 years. The event is 6-9 PM. Tickets will be available soon. HumaneSocietyTennessee.org.

OCTOBER 24TH

Knoxville Opera Presents “Carmen”

Tennessee Theatre | 7:30 PM

Bizet’s “Carmen” ignites the stage with passion, jealousy, and unforgettable music. This fiery tale of love and obsession opens the Masters of Mischief season. Sung in French with English translations. Oct. 24 at 7:30 PM & Oct. 26 at 2:30 PM. Tickets available at TennesseeTheatre.com.

OCTOBER 30TH

Vitamin String Quartet: Music of Taylor Swift, Bridgerton, and Beyond

Clayton Center for the Arts | 7:30 PM

The Vitamin String Quartet captivates audiences with classical interpretations of pop music. Featured in Bridgerton, their latest tour showcases fresh arrangements of hits by Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, BTS, The Weeknd, and Daft Punk. Tickets available at ClaytonArtsCenter.com.

W h e t h e r i t ’ s a n o f f i c e g a t h e r i n g , f a m i l y f e a s t , o r a C h r i s t m a s p a r t y , o u r h o l i d a y

c a t e r i n g b r i n g s t h e c h e e r t o a n y o c c a s i o n . E n j o y a d e l i c i o u s s p r e a d o f s e a s o n a l

f a v o r i t e s , e l e g a n t a p p e t i z e r s , a n d w o n d e r f u l d e s s e r t s . F r o m i n t i m a t e d i n n e r s

t o l a r g e c e l e b r a t i o n s , w e ’ l l m a k e y o u r h o l i d a y m e m o r a b l e a n d d e l i c i o u s .

THE SQUARE ROOM

F o r c a t e r i n g a n d e v e n t i n f o r m a t i o n 8 6 5 - 5 4 4 - 4 1 9 9 , i n f o @ s p a c e s i n t h e c i t y c o m w w w s p a c e s i n t h e c i t y c o m

J A C K S O N T E R M I N A L

Coffee and the Arts

ARTICLE AND PHOTOGRAPHY

BY WEST KNOXVILLE LIFESTYLE STAFF

Interim Executive Director for Clayton Center for the Arts, Christy McDonald Slavick, gives an update on the opening of the Center’s Vienna Coffee Shop on the Maryville College campus. Maryville College is a nationally-ranked private liberal arts college. Maryville-based Vienna Coffee, founded by John Clark, is an award-winning, sustainably sourced specialty coffee roaster.

CLAYTON CENTER FOR THE ARTS, A ONE-STOP ARTS AND CULTURE DESTINATION, OPENS VIENNA COFFEE SHOP

“THE CLAYTON CENTER IS CELEBRATING OUR 15TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON. IT’S AMAZING HOW YOUNG IT IS, BUT HOW MUCH IMPACT IT’S HAD IN THE COMMUNITY.”  —CHRISTY MCDONALD SLAVICK, INTERIM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR.

TELL US ABOUT THE CENTER.

Located on Maryville College campus, the Clayton Center comprises a larger building with our main theater connected by a beautiful plaza and a smaller Building B— an academic building for fine arts classes, art galleries, and now, the Vienna Coffee shop. It’s home to Maryville College Fine Arts Division, The Clayton Center Presenting Season and a rental facility for organizations wanting professional productions, including our resident artists, the Appalachian Ballet Company.

A family and company effort, Clayton Family Foundation and Clayton Homes are our wonderful partners who originally provided the funding that named the Center. We are proud of this private-public partnership with the cities of Alcoa and Maryville, Maryville College and the Industrial Development Board.

WHY ADD A VIENNA COFFEE SHOP?

Vienna Coffee on the Maryville campus had been a dream partnership for many years. John roasted one of his first coffees, the Highland Blend, which is the Maryville College Tartan, on campus. Vienna Coffee Company is located downtown, with a broad retail distribution network regionally. A few years ago, my colleague, John Berry, and I made a trip to Carson-Newman University to look at their Vienna Coffee Shop on campus, which really motivated us, because Vienna is our hometown brand. We started working with John and Vienna COO, Kelly Wiggins, to conceptualize our campus coffee shop in Building B in a space originally intended as a restaurant.

HOW DID IT TAKE SHAPE?

From concept to ribbon-cutting, it was about a three-year process. Renovating the space was also a partnership. The college invested in updating the commercial kitchen with new appliances and countertops and painting. Our loyal patron, Joy Bishop, left a legacy gift that we used to furnish the Center. Vienna added their coffee equipment and branding, as well as beautiful Scottish thistle graphics and photography from the farms where their beans are grown.

CONTINUED >

PatrickSlavick and Christy McDonaldSlavick

Clayton Center for The Arts

FALL AND HOLIDAY HIGHLIGHTS

WHAT’S COMING UP FOR FAMILIES TO BRING THEIR HOLIDAY OUT-OFTOWN GUESTS?

We are especially jazzed about “Dolly Parton’s Smoky Mountain Christmas Carol” over the Thanksgiving holiday for families. This show opened during Covid, so we’re bringing it to our theater for the first touring production since then.

• Oct. 5: “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band

• Oct. 16: Improvised Shakespeare Company, Penny for the Arts*

• Oct. 19: Naturally 7

• Oct. 23: The Appalachian Ballet Company Presents: Dracula

• Oct. 30: Vitamin String Quartet: The Music of Taylor Swift, Bridgerton, and Beyond

• Nov. 14: Randy Travis: More Life Tour

• Nov. 15: The Okee Dokee Brothers, Penny for the Arts*

• Nov. 29: Dolly Parton’s Smoky Mountain Christmas Carol

• Dec. 12: The Appalachian Ballet Company Presents: The Nutcracker

• Dec. 15: Wheel of Fortune LIVE!

Check out patron membership with perks like 10-15% discounts, seasonal events and gallery receptions, concierge ticketing and reserved seating. “Our goal is to build a membership where we spend more time getting to know and engaging with the people who are interested in what we do here.” ClaytoArtsCenter.com/membership-options

*Penny for the Arts – Parents buy a ticket, and children’s ticket is a penny.

John’s daughter and son-in-law, Jamie and Les Stoneham, who now run Vienna, were big players in the project. Jamie designed the space. Les oversaw development from an operational side. Kelly and Beau Branton, Marketing and Events Manager, and I worked together throughout to ensure the vision we had would become reality.

WHAT IS YOUR VISION FOR THE CENTER?

It’s more than just a venue where people come to see shows. Along with four visual arts galleries, we just dedicated the Doug and Sally Gross Memorial Garden, partnering with Dogwood Arts to place sculpture in the garden. I want to activate these spaces so it’s more than just having a transactional relationship with the Center. We encourage you to buy a ticket and see a show. Additionally, this is a community hub for arts and culture, where people can spend time and enjoy the Center beyond attending a show. When I approached Vienna, they agreed it helped fulfill their mission to connect the community and college. This is another opportunity for our community to discover and appreciate the arts and culture gem.

HOW IS THE COFFEE SHOP BEING RECEIVED?

It’s doing exactly what we wanted: bringing more people to this side of campus. Open from 7:30 AM to 2 PM weekdays, there’s typically a class meeting, students studying, and running in to grab coffee and go. Our patrons can get coffee and walk through our galleries and plaza as they enjoy our spaces.

We’ll work with Vienna on certain types of shows where they will open at other times. We’ll collaborate on cross-promotions during our programming. Once we understand how our patrons and students use the space, we can begin to expand our hours and offerings.

WHAT DO YOU WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW ABOUT THE CENTER?

When you think about going to a show or concert, or think about arts and culture, you think about the many venues in Knoxville—Knoxville Museum of Art, the Bijou, the Tennessee Theatre, the Mill and Mine. The Clayton Center, however, provides a space for a lot of different art forms to happen all in this one place. You can see a variety of different shows and artists on our stages, while being within walking distance of downtown restaurants and retail. Along with a 1,000+ seat theater, recital hall, black box theater, art galleries and art garden, we now have culinary with the coffee shop.

I want people to come who have never been here before to really see the place for what it is and take advantage of all the arts programming we have to offer. I truly would like people to know that Clayton Center for the Arts is an extraordinary destination for arts and culture.

ClaytonArtsCenter.com.

GAME-DAY READY

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We Care for Your Skin

Receive the care you deserve in a friendly, welcoming environment with knowledgeable staff. Medical Services include treatment for skin cancer, acne, psoriasis, moles, rashes, eczema & more. We offer a variety of laser procedures including vein treatments, pigmented lesions, hair removal, micro-needling, skin tightening, CO2, and tattoo removal. Our goal is to help you achieve and maintain healthy skin. You will see only Board-Certified Dermatologists at each and every medical visit. We promise to schedule an appointment within 1-7 business days.

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Dermal fillers made with Hyaluronic Acid to help add volume to different areas of the face without surgery.

A series of injections to the treatment area under the chin, destroying fat cells and producing gradual results.