Blackberry Farm – Walland, Tennessee
I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in order. ~ John Burroughs
There is a peacefulness in the Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee. The morning mist blanketing the foothills gives way to sunny afternoons and soft breezes of mountain air that refresh the senses. Nestled in these foothills is the little town of Walland, Tennessee, just thirty minutes from Knoxville, where reality can be suspended and life moves at a slower pace. Come to Blackberry Farm, an American Treasure.
Started as an inn with six guest rooms by the Beall family in 1976, Blackberry Farm today is a 4,200 acre property with 62 guest rooms. As a recipient of the 2012 President’s American Treasures Award for their work on the farm and in the garden, it is one of the most highly acclaimed resorts in the United States.
The property was named the #1 Food & Wine resort in the world and the #2 Hideaway in America in 2012 by Andrew Harper’s Hideaway Report and the #1 Resort in North America by Travel + Leisure’s 2011 World’s Best Awards. As a member of Relais & Chateaux, they also have the honor of the Grand Chef distinction since 2005.
This luxury property offers an upscale escape with numerous outdoor activities for the sportsman such as fly fishing, equestrian sports, clay shooting, cycling, fox hunting, and mountain biking. There are also opportunities to relax at the Farmhouse Spa. However, to anyone in the culinary world, Blackberry Farm stands for one thing, Foothills Cuisine. Foothills Cuisine blends locally grown and regional artisan ingredients with the ruggedness of the mountains in a manner that reflects the refinement of the resort. Blackberry Farm also attracts some of America’s top chefs to host cooking schools and epicurean events.
The focus of our visit was to meet with Executive Chef Joseph Lenn at The Barn (the premier dining restaurant at Blackberry Farm) and visit with their Master Gardener, John Coykendall, to learn more about their farming practices and preservation efforts.
We arrived on a Tuesday to meet with Chef Lenn. After our meeting, we learned there was a special event, Smoky Mountain Table, concluding that evening with a dinner in the garden. Chef Lenn invited us to be a part of the final gathering of the participants that had come from points throughout the United States to “experience Blackberry Farm.”
First time visiting was many years ago (15 to be exact). So many changes, but all done so well. Sam has been a treasure. I still have my heirloom tomato seeds from John, that continue to grow a small but bountiful Miller’s Cove tomato crop each year. With children that just left for college , I am reminded it is time to visit East Tennessee, my home away from 30A, sooner than later, because of your beautiful post.
What a mouthwatering post. The beautiful gardens makes me want to have one that’s bigger and better than last year. And the charcuterie picture makes me never want to go vegetarian! Imagine all that hard work and it will never be as beautiful as the Blackberry Farm. I better stick with wine and posts from Bunkycooks!
This has been on my Wish list for a while. Thank you for sharing what looked like a wonderful Tennessee experience.
Each one of your culinary travel post – and I say this every time – so makes me want to spend a month or so just travelling around the South and visiting all of these incredible places and meeting these amazing people. And eating! Bunky Cooks is really the best source for culinary travel information anywhere! And beautiful photos, always. This particular location is stunning!
One day I will make it there! I’ve always dreamed of going there and hopefully my dream will become a reality in the not-so-distant future.
We recently visited the Fearrington Inn in Pittsboro, NC and it’s also a little piece of heaven – perhaps a little more urban than mountain though. Lovely nonetheless!
It’s a farm..it’s a gourmet meal..it’s cute curly haired doggies! Wow, Gwen…this place looks phenomenal! This has sealed my dream to one day buy a farm when I hit the lotto Well..until then, I can visit Blackberry Farm and bask in the beauty, the food, the music AND those curly-haired doggies! LOVE this post!
Your pictures wants me to ready my family for a trip, pack our bags, then have a vacation at Tennessee. Such a lovely place, Gwen.