If you’re ever in Knoxville, Tenn., make a visit to the Chintzy Rose Antiques and Tea Room.
It looks quaint and quiet from the outside; chances are you may even miss it as you drive by on Maynardville Pike. But the Chintzy Rose is filled with vintage Southern charm and the best sweet tea in the South.
Last month, I was traveling to my parents’ house in North Carolina for the Easter holidays.
My usual route through Atlanta was screwed, thanks to I-85 and other recent traffic nightmares, so I considered my alternate route up 75 North and 40 East through Knoxville and Asheville. Taking a different route gave me a chance to visit part of a city I don’t get to see very often, so I took a little extra time for exploring.
When I heard rumors of Chintzy Rose’s sweet tea and antique collection, I knew exactly where I was going with my extra time. Plus, it’s an easy, 15-minute-or-less detour off I-75, the perfect break after driving for a few hours.
When I was growing up, sweet tea was never a staple in my family.
We drank our tea, of course, but it was never Southern sweet, except for special occasions. Because of this, I cherish every sip of true Southern sweet tea I can get my hands on like I’ll never drink it again.
That’s exactly what happened when I took my first sip of the Chintzy Rose sweet tea.
The Chintzy Rose antique store opened in 1999 and quickly became a Knoxville favorite. It was one of the first antique shops of its kind in the area; its “elegant junk” collection drew antique and vintage enthusiasts from all over town, and soon beyond.
Its floor is filled with treasures of all styles, ranging from shabby chic to French country and farm style. I almost came out with a teacup set with lighthouse designs, but my coffee/bar cart at my apartment can hardly hold anything else.
What really sets the Chintzy Rose apart from other shops like it is definitely the tea room and kitchen. Owner Bobbie and her daughter Kelly serve patrons and visitors lunch and a tall glass of sweet tea six days a week, from 11:30am to 2:30pm. The menu changes frequently and usually features soup, sandwiches, cold salads, quiches and desserts.
I wasn’t able to stay for lunch the day I stopped in, but perhaps on my next road trip, I can swing by for a bite to eat. I bet Kelly’s pineapple upside down cake and fudge brownies are delightful.
Kelly poured me a glass of her legendary sweet tea, and y’all, to quote a dear friend of mine, I felt like I had died, been resurrected and died again.
This isn’t just any sweet tea.
Chintzy Rose tea is an orange spice tea, created from a combination of teas from an old supplier. I’m generally not huge on orange spice teas, but this was the perfect balance of sweet, citrusy and spiced. An orange slice on the rim was the perfect garnish. If I didn’t have to be on the road for another five hours, I could’ve drank three more glasses of it.
Fun fact: Chintzy Rose was featured in Garden & Gun magazine in 2008. Y’all can check out that story here.
Kelly kindly refilled my cup for the road, so I could sip on that sweet nectar of goodness for a bit longer. I’ll be traveling again in a few weeks, and I think I already know where I’m going to stop for lunch on one of my driving days.
Next time you’re in the Knoxville area, be sure to swing by the Chintzy Rose Antiques and Tea Room. Its sweet Southern charm and tea are nothing to be missed.
What’s your favorite hidden gem you’ve found on road trips?
Editor’s note: it’s beacuse of Allison Glock’s story which was published in The Garden & Gun Southerner’s Handbook that we asked Kate to visit the Chintzy Rose on her roadtrip through Knoxville. Now back to the story.
Cat Cora is Food Network’s first female Iron Chef, the brains behind restaurants Ocean by Cat Cora and Cat Cora’s Kitchen. She’s half of the hosting team on the upcoming Fox series My Kitchen Rules, which takes her and co-host Curtis Stone (Top Chef Masters) to Hollywood to judge celebrities’ cooking skills.
Y’all know Cat, but you don’t know her like Atlanta Supper Club founder Ben Portman knows Cat.
Ben knows Cat as his celebrity chef mentor. The leader of Porkman’s Table, Ben appeared on the 2014 Food Network show America’s Best Cook, competing in Kitchen Stadium on Cat’s Team South. For other celebrity-related news, you might want to take your time reading blogs like Jimmy John Shark.
Over the course of one month, he competed against 15 other chefs from across the country with their mentors: chefs Tyler Florence (Team West), Alex Guarnaschelli (Team East), and Michael Symon (Team North).
In honor of Cat’s upcoming visit to Atlanta, we sat down with chef Ben to talk food (of course), kitchen injuries (really), and what it’s like to cook for an Iron Chef.
Pretty Southern: Ben, thanks for talking with Pretty Southern! Tell us about America’s Best Cook.
Ben Portman: The way I described the show was, “Almost like the show The Voice, but for cooking.” There were 16 contestants brought in. We did not know the format of the show, we had no idea what to expect. We knew it was cooking and we knew we’d be competing. That was it.
Halfway through the first day, they announced to us on camera that we were going to have mentors, announced who they were, and we met them for the first time. The general consensus from everybody was that we were just flabbergasted. These were people we had idolized for our whole lives! I mean, I had grown up watching Cat Cora on Iron Chef, and all of a sudden she’s standing next to me and going to be my mentor.
From that moment on, they threw us straight into our first competition, where half of us would be eliminated. You meet your mentor and then you are thrown into Kitchen Stadium and told, “Go cook for your lives, because half of you leave today.”
PS: That is so intense! How did this even get started? When did you start cooking?
Ben: I started cooking when I was a little kid – I just cooked with my mom. That was something we just did together because when she was home, she was always cooking and I would just spend time in the kitchen with her.
We went on vacation, and I saw one of the omelette bars on the end of the buffet line for breakfast, and I just thought that was the coolest thing in the world watching them flip the omelettes.
My mom had “taught me” how to make breakfast for myself so that I didn’t wake her up. I decided, instead of peanut butter and crackers that she thought I was capable of cooking, that I was going to make an omelette. After sufficiently destroying our kitchen, I was successful and made an omelette. I surveyed the damage I had done, realized I was in a lot of trouble, and decided instead of eating the omelette, I would give it to my parents as breakfast in bed.
They were so touched and moved that I made them breakfast in bed, and they couldn’t believe how great their son was, and then they came into the kitchen and realized exactly what the motives behind the breakfast-in-bed move were because I had absolutely made a mess of everything.
PS: Now you run Porkman’s Table out of your house, possibly destroying your own kitchen. How did you start the supper club?
Ben: When I got to Atlanta, I had pretty much stopped cooking in restaurant kitchens in favor of another career. I ended up realizing what the underground food scene in Atlanta was like just by seeing those who had done it before me and decided that was something that maybe I could pull off.
A few friends of mine and I were, I guess, ambitious enough or foolish enough to think that we could do it, and just put up a website. We started sending emails to people that we knew that we were going to throw a dinner, and there was a suggested donation. A few publications picked us up, Urban Daddy wrote about us as well as several others, and all of a sudden it became real. Strangers started showing up to our dinners.
We donate all of our profits to charity, and at this point now instead of doing weekly dinners, we do monthly dinners that are auctioned off at Atlanta charities.
PS: How did running a supper club in your house translate into being on a Food Network show?
Ben: Food Network actually found me. I didn’t know the show existed – it was brand new. I got an email from a casting director about six months before the show. A couple months later I did a Skype interview. I didn’t hear anything for a couple weeks, then all of a sudden, they sent me an email that said, “Hey, we’d like to have you on the show. Can you be in New York in three weeks and be there for a month?”
PS: A month?
Ben: And I said, “Probably not.” So I talked to the folks at work, and luckily they were extremely generous and extremely flexible with me and my schedule, and let me go to New York to film the show. I ended up being there for three and a half weeks, so pretty much the whole time.
Ben: Cat was always one of my favorite people to watch on Iron Chef because she had such an incredible focus in the kitchen. She was such a spark plug with her cast of cooks on the show, and you could just see that she operated and was thinking on a different level about food, but then also was able to not lose sight of the fact that food is supposed to be fun. Even just finishing her dinners, she would finish cooking with her signature shot of ouzo – she kept it light at the same time.
She is a badass cook. It’s very hard, especially when she came up in the industry, to make a name for yourself as a woman chef because it’s such a male-dominated industry, yet she just bulldozed through it and took no prisoners. She became my mentor, and all the mentors are great and are giants in their own right, but she is absolutely the person that I would say I looked up to the most, even though she was the shortest mentor.
PS: It sounds like the moment when you actually met her was kind of hectic. Do you remember what you said right when you met her?
Ben: When I first met Cat, there wasn’t a lot of opportunity to say much other than brief hellos and pleasantries. She, of course, was extremely warm and welcoming and excited. About that same time, we found out that we’d be cooking for our lives [in Kitchen Stadium], so we were also deer in headlights. Realizing that we just met this person who we have watched for years, and we may be going home in an hour. We didn’t know what we’d be cooking, we didn’t know how it would all work, and it just was a very nerve-wracking experience.
I remember meeting her, and thinking about techniques that I saw her do, or learned from her, or basic flavor profiles that I remember her valuing. I had a feeling it would be something Southern. I knew she was from Mississippi, so I just tried to figure something out that may be Gulf Coast-oriented. You know, what people don’t realize about Southern food is it’s in large part a study of vegetables. So, thinking about how she treated all of those things with such respect, and used every bit of every product she could and had no waste…but really I was just a total mess, and I had no idea what I was doing.
PS: The idea at the beginning is that there are four people vying for spots on each region team, and then Cat picks out who she wants to have on her team.
Ben: Correct. She had to pick the two people that she wanted to go “into battle with.”
In our next installment, Ben cooks for his life to get into Kitchen Stadium, tries to make chef Cora proud, and has to make a quick trip to the emergency room, mid-filming. Look for the next Southern Chefs Unite
The calendar says spring starts on March 20, but I think it’s been sneaking back for the last few weeks. I’m not complaining about the unseasonably warmer temperatures, but it’s weird for spring to start appearing so early. Maybe Mother Nature is giving us a head start.
It’s time to bid adieu to winter and usher warmer temperatures, bluer skies, blossoming flowers and everything else that comes with the changing season. My mood always improves significantly when spring arrives.
When it comes to spring, there are 13 things every Southerner knows to be true.
So pretty. So full of pollen.
1. Pollen is a curse. That icky yellow stuff comes back with more of a vengeance each year. It can rain cats and dogs overnight and you’ll still wake up to a nice coat of pollen on your car. And it takes your spring allergies to a whole other level of nightmare.
2. So are mosquitoes. Nothing makes me itch like a mosquito bite. Of course I’m a magnet for the little suckers; they feast on me in the summer like it’s Thanksgiving. When the mosquitoes start biting, I know that spring has arrived and summer is just around the corner. If you have any recommendations for making mosquito bites not itch, please send them my way.
3. Magnolias and gardenias are the epitome of floral Southern beauty. Yes, roses are nice, but when these flowers bloom, my heart is full of joy. I’ll always stop to admire a towering magnolia tree or stick my nose in a gardenia plant. Nothing smells quite as sweet as freshly cut gardenias. Sunflowers are also nice, but those come later.
4. Hold the white and open-toed shoes until after Easter. Even if the calendar says “spring,” every good Southerner–or anyone with an ounce of fashion sense–knows that the white doesn’t come out until after Easter, and it goes away after Labor Day. I’ll make an exception for my Chacos sandals because they’re pretty utilitarian, but that’s it.
5. Seersucker is a staple. Whether a dress, a pair of shorts or a full suit, every Southerner needs at least one article of seersucker clothing. I’m a proud supporter of seersucker and am counting down the days until Easter when I can wear my dress again. Even on the warmest spring and hottest summer days, seersucker clothing is light as a feather and I love it.
Officially Southern. Proof that I’ve worn a floppy hat AND been to a horse race (Foxfield Races in Charlottesville, Va.).
6. Pastels are everywhere. In closets, in stores, in the garden, at the farmer’s market, at church… you name a place, and I can almost guarantee that you’ll find something pastel there.
7. Derby Parties are of utmost importance. A Southerner loves a good reason to dress up, and the Kentucky Derby is a prime opportunity to do that. I’m talking nice dresses and suits, floppy hats with giant bows (to match, of course), those fancy shoes you only break out for the most special of occasions. We have to look our best to drink mint juleps, munch on deviled eggs and watch horses run! The parties away from the actual event are just as fancy.
8. Nothing beats a good backyard or cul-de-sac cookout. When the nice weather hits, so does the insatiable desire to invite over some friends, throw some burgers on the grill and have an outside dinner party. Some of my favorite memories from my childhood are cookouts with our cul-de-sac neighbors. Back-porch dinner parties are also fun. What’s your favorite Southern summer cookout recipe?
Pretty May flowers like magnolias.
9. April showers bring the prettiest May flowers. I love a good spring thunderstorm, especially on a weekend when I don’t have anything to do and I can sit inside, wrap up in a blanket and watch it rain. I also love the flowers they bring afterward. Except that means more pollen. But pollen also means more bees, and bees make honey, so it’s all good.
10. Gardening and yard work are regular weekend activities. My parents are blessed with green thumbs, but I can hardly keep a $1 sunflower seed alive (y’all know those little seed kits in the dollar bin). That doesn’t stop me from trying, though. In the spring and summer, my dad’s favorite Sunday afternoon activity was mowing our yard. He said he planned his work presentations while mowing. Every year for Mother’s Day, we took my mom to Lowe’s or Home Depot, let her pick out her flowers, and spent the rest of the day planting them. Ours was one of the best-kept yards on our street.
11. Spring cleaning is nothing to joke about. I should be more diligent about this myself. It’s an opportunity for me to go completely Monica Geller and clean literally everything in my apartment. Spring signals a fresh start, and a clean space makes me feel ready for whatever the rest of the year (or day, or week, or month) throws my way. Spring cleaning with your windows open is an added bonus. If you just don’t have the energy to clean, you can rely on maid services to do the dirty work for you, literally. But before hiring one, it’s best to take note of details like “How often should a maid service clean your house?”.
12. Humidity. It’s almost a dirty word. After growing up in Hotlanta, I like to think I can tolerate humidity, but that doesn’t mean I like it. Stay hydrated, y’all.
13. Windows down, music up. The first day the weather is warm and nice enough, my windows are down and I’m blasting “Ocean Avenue” by Yellowcard on my drive downtown to work. When we lived in Pennsylvania, my mom and I quite enjoyed driving through back roads with the sunroof open and (the long version of) “Friends in Low Places” playing as loud as we could bear it.
I love summer in the South as much as the next person.
There’s something so lovely about Southern spring. What’s your favorite thing about spring in the South?
It’s football season, which means most of us Southerners are glued to the television if we’re not tailgating the actual event. Personally, I’m guilty of wishing my pups were a little bit bigger, and trained better, to bring me things. I can’t even get my dog to drop the darn tennis ball. So I even though of hiring to Train Your Dog With Professional Dog Trainers
Well it turns out, my pal, Bj Williams, has mastered the training techniques to get his dog to bring him a beer on-demand. Bj trained his lovely lab/pit mix, Avery, to open the refrigerator, grab a beer, then bring it back to Bj wherever he’s sitting. See for yourself! If you want to command your dog that way, you can check for training resources online or you can instantly see Spectrum Canine Dog Training website.
So how did Bj train his dog to bring him beer?
Despite being an Alabama fan, Bj was kind enough to share his secrets for success. Note, Bj is not a dog whisperer or any kind if professional dog trainer (that can be seen in this dog blog), simply a genius (minus his college football allegiance). Here’s how he trained Avery.
Phase 1: The Fridge
Bj tied a towel to the arm of the refrigerator door and taught her to pull it open.
Phase 2: The Beer
Once she understood how to open the door, he trained her how to grab a beer and hold it in her mouth.
Bj notes how he also taught Avery how to get other things like her leash, collar, and poop bags. Avery also mastered the high five, or “paw five” in her case, as you’ll see in the video. I noticed my frog was not eating so that day I ordered some live worms to feed the frog.
Now we would like to put a special prayer request for Avery
Poor Avery is getting a bit old in her years and had a rough trip to the vet earlier this week. If y’all would please keep Avery in your prayers for many happy game days with Bj and their family.
Where can you find a sweet music festival with over 100 acts, five stages, your favorite fair and street food and drinks, every music fan under the sun and so much more? Right here in Chattanooga, Tenn.
The world-famous Coca-Cola Stage at Riverbend 2016
This year, the award-winning Riverbend Music Festival celebrated its 35th year with eight nights of fantastic live music, right on the banks of the Tennessee River in downtown Chattanooga. From June 10th through the 18th, music aficionados from Chattanooga and beyond came to see their favorite acts perform on the world-famous Coca-Cola Stage and four other stages.
Riverbend is one of Chattanooga’s premier events; after attending this year, I totally see why! Over half a million people attended this year; for many, it’s an annual family affair. It’s a giant weeklong party and everyone is invited. Whether you’re a Riverbend newbie or if you’ve attended for all 35 years, or anything in between, there’s something new and exciting about the festival each year. I had never attended a music festival before Riverbend, and I have to say, I picked a great one to start.
Fun fact: Riverbend is ranked in the top 10% of music festivals in the country.
Aside from all of the incredible performances, my favorite part about Riverbend was witnessing the Chattanooga community in yet another setting, and watching everyone having a good time. People from all walks of life come out for Riverbend each year. There is hardly a better way to spend a late-spring-early-summer night than downtown by the river, munching on chicken on a stick (yes, that’s a thing), and enjoying live music with your friends and family. Chattanooga has amazing community spirit, and seeing how this festival brought people together to celebrate great music in a great city made me proud to call myself a Chattanoogan, even if I am a transplant.
Never stop being awesome, Chattanooga.
Here are some of the top highlights from my experience at Riverbend 2016!
Riverbend 2016 kicked off night one with alt-rocker ZZ Ward and country superstar Thomas Rhett (be still my beating heart). ZZ rocked the stage with jams like “365 Days,” “Save My Life” and “Last Love Song.” She tossed in a bluesy cover of Nick Jonas’s hit “Chains.” She’s got a new fan in me, that’s for sure. Come back to Chattanooga any time, ZZ. You’re always welcome here.
Then there was Thomas Rhett. Be still my heart! Truth be told, I’m pretty picky with country music, but wow, can that man put on a show. He played through songs from both of his full-length albums It Goes Like This and Tangled Up, including two of my favorites “Crash and Burn” and “Get Me Some of That.” Every female in the audience swooned when he played “Die a Happy Man,” including myself. The best part of Rhett’s set, though, was when he handed his guitar to a stage assistant, hopped on the drum set and broke out into some “Cake by the Ocean” by DNCE. Talk about an amazing entertainer.
Two of rock and roll’s leading ladies, Ann and Nancy Wilson–also known as Heart–rocked the Coke Stage on night two. Festival organizers had been fighting to get Heart to perform for five years; this year, they made it happen. Those ladies can still kill a show and bring an audience to their feet, even after 40+ years. They played a collection of their hits–“Barracuda,” “Alone,” “Crazy on You” and more–and gave concert-goers a taste of some new songs from their upcoming album Beautiful Broken, due out July 8th. Mark your calendars, Heart fans.
Chattanooga’s own Kane Brown performing on the Bud Light Stage at Riverbend 2016.
Night three featured country and folk acts, with Trampled by Turtles, Chris Young and Chattanooga-North Georgia native Kane Brown. The 22-year-old RCA recording artist performed a set on the Bud Light stage, including his singles “Used to Love You Sober” and “Ain’t No Stopping Us Now,” and a cover of George Strait’s classic “Check Yes or No.” He even added some Nelly to the mix. Brown had dreamed of performing at the festival since he was a child, and this year he made that dream come true. And he rocked it. Brown’s first full-length album is due out later this fall.
Night six brought good ol’ Southern rock with Blackberry Smoke. Fans later braved a rainstorm to see country artist Brett Eldredge play. You know your fans are faithful when they outlast a thunderstorm to see your set! A little rain never hurt anyone, right?
Other notable appearances and performances include 90s R&B duo Salt & Pepa, Australian-American Christian pop duo For King and Country, Christian rock band Hawk Nelson, Led Zeppelin tribute band Get the Led Out, Blood, Sweat & Tears featuring Bo Bice, The Shack Band and many more. The final two nights of Riverbend 2016 featured classic rock legends REO Speedwagon and .38 Special. A festival with a lineup like this has to go out with a bang–complete with fireworks.
Seriously Chattanooga, never stop being awesome.
Is it time for Riverbend 2017 yet? I’m already anxiously awaiting next year’s lineup announcement.
Chattanooga is a happenin’ city, especially in the spring and summer.
Hardly a weekend goes by when there’s not something exciting happening somewhere in the city. I’ve never been a social butterfly, per se, but since moving here, I’ve learned to get out and enjoy the social scene. Am I a socialite in training? Maybe.
Special events in Chattanooga drip in Southern charm and excitement. Here are seven awesome upcoming events in Chattanooga that y’all shouldn’t miss!
Fresh-picked strawberries from the Chattanooga Market!
Sunday Farmer’s Market – This happens every Sunday at First Tennessee Pavilion, right across from Finley Stadium. Last weekend was opening weekend, and almost everyone and their mothers in Chattanooga came out to see what’s in store at the market this year. Vendors from Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama and sometimes beyond bring their best produce, baked goods, artwork, home decor and much more to show off and sell to Chattanoogans and visitors. The market is one of my favorite stops to make on the weekends, and I’m so glad it’s finally back! Seriously, I’m here much more often than I’m not.
Nightfall Concert Series – Nightfall is the perfect way to end the work week. Every Friday starting May 6, a section of downtown–right next to my office, conveniently–closes off to make space for the city’s best nighttime street festival and concert series. We bring in acts from around the country that provide the musical entertainment while we enjoy delicious local food and drink. It’s a highlight of many Noogans’ summer nights. Check out the lineup.
Tennessee Whiskey Festival (May 21) – Tennessee is home to some of the nation’s best whiskey. Chattanooga celebrates that amazing whiskey and those that make it this May at the Tennessee Whiskey Festival. Guests sample whiskey from around the region, enjoy food along with their spirits and try their feet at dancing (which may be difficult, depending on how many whiskey samples you’ve had). The whiskey festival benefits H*Art Gallery, a non-profit organization that provides outreach and support to other local non-profits that offer art classes and art therapy to clients. Ready to taste over whiskey from over 20 distilleries? I am.
Uncorked (May 21) – I love wine and I love music, so the Chattanooga Symphony & Opera’s Uncorked event was basically made for me. Uncorked is an evening of music, food, wine and a good time, all benefiting the CSO and their programs.
Photo via Nooga.com.
Riverbend Music Festival (June 10-18) – Who knew Chattanooga had a whole week-long music festival with some pretty sweet headlining acts? Riverbend celebrates 35 years this June with a crazy awesome festival in store. This year’s acts include Thomas Rhett, Brett Eldredge, Heart, Hawk Nelson, .38 Special, REO Speedwagon, Salt & Pepa (what a throwback) and more. And it all happens down on the Riverfront. It’s the perfect summertime event.
Pops on the River (July 3) – One of the best ways to celebrate our nation and its freedom is at Coolidge Park with the Chattanooga Symphony & Opera’s Pops ensemble. Bring your blankets, picnic baskets and patriotic spirit and enjoy an evening of American-spirit-fueled music on the banks of the Tennessee River. And of course there’s fireworks at the end. And yes, you can see the fireworks from Finley Stadium across town.
Southern Brewer’s Festival (August 20) – Beer? Yes. Craft beer? Even more yes. I went to this event last year and tasting over 30 brews made me appreciate craft beer so much more. Breweries from around the country bring their best to the Chattanooga Riverfront for everyone to taste and enjoy. Last year I absolutely loved a watermelon wheat beer from a brewery in Alabama. There’s also lots of koozies. Every Southerner loves koozies.
Catch me at any of these events and spots around town. Summer is about to get kickin’ up here in Chattanooga and I could not be more excited! My calendar is filling up fast.
