Episode 3906

- [Narrator] "Tennessee Crossroads" is brought to you in part by.

- [Narrator] Some of our biggest checks have also made the biggest difference. The Tennessee Lottery, proud to have raised more than $7.5 billion for education. Now that's some game-changing, life-changing fun.

- [Narrator] Discover Tennessee trails and byways where adventure, cuisine, and history come together. With 16 scenic driving trails., you can discover why Tennessee sounds perfect. Trips can be planned at TNRrailsAndByways.com.

- [Narrator] The co-op system in Tennessee consists of independently owned co-ops, driven to serve farmer owners, rural lifestyle customers, and their communities throughout Tennessee and in five neighboring states. More at ourcoop.com.

- [Narrator] Middle Tennessee State University College of Liberal Arts helps students explore the world, engage minds, enrich lives, and earn a living. More at mtsu.edu/cla.

- This week, we take a tour inside the Parthenon, sample the menu at a Goodlettsville market, meet a lady who turns animals into art, and dig into delicious fried pies. I think I'll have dessert first. I'm Vicki Yates. Welcome to "Tennessee Crossroads." Nashville's population is booming. And for many of our new residents, there's still much to learn about Music city. Take the Parthenon, for example. It's an exact sized replica of the original with artistic treasures inside and a new exhibit. Once upon a time, Nashville, Tennessee was known as the Athens of the South. And in order to reinforce that image, a replica of the Parthenon in Greece was created. In May of 1931, it opened to the public. It attracted thousands of visitors over the years, but it was in 1990 that it became a must-see for visitors from all over the world. That's when 26-year-old sculptor Alan LeQuire was commissioned to create a 42-foot statue of the Greek goddess Athena. Parthenon curator Jennifer Richardson says it had to be an accurate depiction of the goddess.

- It wasn't just an idea that Alan had, and he threw together all on his own. He did a lot of research. He consulted with a lot of archeologists and historians to get it accurate. That was very important. And then he had to design it. He first designed it on a very small scale and then enlarged it to 1/10th size and then to 1/5 size. And then he created full sizing clay.

- Well, the most difficult part for me was trying to imitate the style of Farias. I was a young sculptor, and I just hadn't done that much figurative sculpture. And so trying to understand his style was the most difficult thing.

- [Vicki] Originally, the statue was white. And obviously, it was gilded, and now it's in its glory. How important was that for you to have done a certain way?

- Most people will tell me they preferred the statue when it was white, unadorned. And I have to admit, I do too. But that's just our modern taste coming out. I always intended it to be archeologically correct, and this is what we know that she looked like from ancient written descriptions.

- [Vicki] You might think that after an artist has created a peace day resistance, they would rest on their accolades, but not Alan LeQuire.

- When Jennifer Richardson, who's the curator here, gave me the great gift of, you know, having an exhibition throughout the whole building, I was really inspired by that. And I knew I would have the opportunity to do the kind of work I've always wanted to do, not dictated by a client.

- [Vicki] And that work would feature monumental figures, all of them women.

- I realized pretty quickly that with Athena there, you know, the Parthenon is sort of a monument to women.

- [Vicki] And one of the most eye-catching of the monumental figures can be seen over the entrance of the Athena Parthenons.

- I immediately thought of Fannie Lou Hamer. A woman because all of the figures are women, but also someone who points us in the right direction in terms of defending our democracy. And I think that is so important right now that we remember that. The point really is that we're all worthy of monumental statues. It's not just that you qualify by some great accomplishment. There's a figure that's inspired by a former assistant of mine. She has birds all over her. Actually, she helped me make Athena. It was Mary Mark Monday. And later, she sort of developed an obsession with birds and she raised birds in her apartment in Nashville, and now she lives in Pennsylvania. And there's a figure that's inspired by my grandmother, who I never knew. She grew up in Cades Cove in the Smoky Mountains, and, you know, began her life as a subsistence farmer. So she's in there. It's a mixture of people.

- [Vicki] In the main gallery, standing guard. Athena Parthenos in all her glory, has been joined by three floating statues.

- [Alan] These are all inspired by our female Olympians, and we've had lots from Tennessee, so I tried to concentrate on that. But Wilma Rudolph, of course, people need to go watch that YouTube video of her winning all those medals in 1964. I think she's about 1,100 pounds, suspended over the audience here in the Parthenon. All the figures are about that heavy. I think the Swimmer is the lightest one. She's about 800 pounds. And the swimmer, of course, is tribute to our many Olympic swimmers from Nashville, Tracy Caulkins of course, and then Gretchen and Alex Walsh.

- [Vicki] And although she's not a Tennessean, Olympic winning gymnast Simone Biles has been an inspiration too. As you walk through the Parthenon, you can't help but be inspired by LeQuire's thoughtful work. from civil rights spokesperson, Diane Nash to singer and civil rights advocate, Joan Baez, to Dr. Mildred Stahlman who created the world's first modern neonatal intensive care unit at Vanderbilt University. What is it about sculpting that keeps you going?

- [Alan] I've had this since I was born, I guess. You know, I had the desire to make stuff with my hands, you know. And, you know, I went to Vanderbilt and I was pre-med and I was thinking about it going to medical school, but nothing gave me the satisfaction of making something with my hands.

- Alan LeQuire, mission accomplished. Just a reminder that the LeQuire exhibit is only open through September 21st. When Jim and Cheryl Hagy were college sweethearts, they shared a dream of starting a hospitality business of some kind. After marriage and signing a lease in 1997, their restaurant Chef's Market has exceeded all expectations as Joe Elmore discovered,

- [Jim] I like to say that we're kinda like a cross between a meat and three and a New York deli.

- [Joe] That's the way Jim Hagy describes the dining destination he and wife Cheryl opened in 1997. Back then, Chef's Market was a somewhat peculiar concept.

- There was either casual dining or fine dining or fast food. There wasn't something that was kind of in between. And people would come in and they'd say, "Oh, this is great." And then they'd look at me, and they'd say, "Man, I hope you make it." And I'd be like. And I'd like, "Oh, you know, we're making it." But in my head I'm like, "Man, I hope we make it too."

- [Joe] They made it all right. And now, over a quarter century later, Chef's Market is a major draw for hungry Middle Tennessee visitors. The couples started planning their ideal eatery back during their college years.

- We wanted it to be casual. We wanted it to be quick. We wanted it to be chef quality. We didn't want it to look like all the other things. You wanted to have some healthy foods, some vegetarian items.

- [Joe] It's cafeteria style dining, and your eyes are immediately filled with an endless array of choices. Some people will never make it past the vast salad section, but those who do can get anything from a burger to a choice meat and two. Or three.

- There'll be people ordering a from the grill, or there'll be people ordering from the hotline getting the biggest piece of meatloaf they've ever seen with well prepared Yukon gold, garlic mashed potatoes. And so, I mean, it's a lot of work. Everything's kind of made from scratch, you know. Virtually everything that we do is a lot of effort goes into it. We've got some of the best bread around. We've got this Rosemary Parmesan roll. That's incredible. A really nice, you've heard of spoon rolls? Yeah, it's incredible. And people just come and buy the bread.

- [Joe] As you enter Chef's Market, there's a shop full of candles and other take home trinkets. This is one of Cheryl's ongoing duties.

- It's so fun to go and choose and think, "Well, this customer that usually comes in here, they would like this gift. You know, they would like this piece of pottery" or whatever, so we do that.

- [Joe] Of course, as co-owner, her job is any job that needs doing. From cutting cakes to more manual tasks.

- Yesterday, a lady walked up and I was outside, I was moving something. She said, "Is that your job description? And I'm like, yes, ma'am." Sure is.

- In addition to the dine in and takeout food business, Chef's Market also made its mark in the catering industry. Voted Nashville's Best 10 years in a row.

- [Jim] People have planned their events. You know, they've been planning an event for a long, long time. So we love being a part of people's life events. Whether it's a wedding or a baby shower or birthday party.

- [Joe] The market offers tasting events to assist planners of weddings and other special occasions.

- You know, you're only good as your last event. You gotta make it. Each one of them's got a big ray. It's exciting. I mean, you know, we've catered Taylor Reba, you know, it's harder to name. It'd be easier to name who we hadn't done, you know, over the years,

- [Joe] Chef's Market has an enormous kitchen space, big enough to support the restaurant and the catering business. In this area, an employee prepares entrees like fresh salmon. While another makes Hors d'oeuvres for a party. And in the bakery, cake makings in the works for yet another event. It's quite a feat for a restaurant to stay in business and thrive for more than 25 years. Chef's Market will be around a lot longer, thanks to the ongoing passion of its owners, always striving for the best possible food, the best dedicated staff, and an ever-growing base of satisfied customers.

- It's evolved over the years. So we've added different things to the menu and we've had wonderful employees who've been with us for a long time. But it's, you know, better than I'm ever expected. And you know what I love about it? I love our customers that come in, you know, and they're like family to us. We spend a lot of time here. So you get to know so many great folks. It's been a real joy and it's enriched our lives a lot.

- Nature photographers capture pictures of beautiful animals from around the globe. Miranda Cohen met a Murfreesboro woman whose method of capturing images takes a little longer, but it's just as breathtaking.

- [Miranda] When Brenda Bond sits down at her favorite spot, some of nature's most beautiful creatures just seem to come to life.

- I kind of like always like to start with the eyes and I kinda have to get them in the right place. And you have to get the eyes right. 'Cause if you don't do that, it's not gonna look like the person's animal 'cause that is part of us so.

- [Miranda] It's as if the totally self-taught artist is seeing much more than fur and feathers. She is seeing the animal's spirit and putting it down on paper. Today, she's working on a commissioned piece of a cherished member of the family.

- [Brenda] The animals love so much unconditionally. You know, and they look at you and they adore you. And everybody else can get mad at you. You're talking your cat never do.

- [Miranda] Bond will simply look at a photograph and will start to draw exactly what she sees with every stroke and movement of her pencil and almost more real version of the animal will begin to appear.

- [Brenda] I don't know how I do it. I kind of don't know how you can't do it. Does that make sense? I don't know. I can just see it here and put it here. I love animals.

- [Miranda] Brenda will sketch almost anything, but there is one creature where she draws, or should we say, doesn't draw the line.

- [Brenda] People are so critical of themselves and I just didn't enjoy drawing a person. I like the fur. I like the texture of the animals. They are furry.

- [Miranda] With meticulous and precise attention to detail, her true gift pours out on the page. And as a true master, she finds the entire creative process relaxing. Some might even find it a little too relaxing.

- [Brenda] Sometimes I'll sit for eight hours a day just drawing. Sometimes I'll sit down for an hour, 45 minutes. I draw every single morning on something while I drink my coffee with my cat in my lap. It's very relaxing. I really enjoy doing it. And I just get into it and I don't wanna stop.

- [Miranda] And with any great masterpiece, knowing when to stop is often the most difficult part.

- [Brenda] But sometimes I have trouble deciding I'm done and I'll stare at it for a while and move back and look at it from different angles and I'll sign it. Once I've signed it, take it outta the pad, ready to spread it.

- When you look at a piece of Brenda's art, it looks like it took hundreds of different pencils in hundreds of different shades, when actually, all the magic comes from Brenda herself. In fact, she uses very few tools. A number six pencil and a Q-tip.

- I use a number six pencil. My overhead's pretty cheap.

- [Miranda] She is starting to experiment with color and the results are stunning. But she prefers the looks of blacks and whites and by expertly blending thousands of shades in between.

- [Brenda] I really like the black and white. I'm real comfortable with black and white.

- [Miranda] Bond started out drawing cats and dogs. But when her work was noticed by the Smoky Mountain Art Gallery, she knew her work had to get a little more on the wild side.

- [Brenda] I drew a whole bunch of things I thought would be Gatlinburg-ish, you know, the bear and the otter and the wolfs and the wild animals. And I really enjoyed doing them.

- [Miranda] Bears, rabbits, mountain lions, chipmunks, birds, and beloved family pets stare back at her from the pages, all captured in graphite. Animal Art by Brenda is the name of her website and her store on Etsy.

- [Brenda] Most of what I sell is the commission. I want it to look perfect. I fret over, I'm like crazy.

- [Miranda] And her fretting shows, each piece will take about 20 hours to create. Every thoughtful and calculated stroke and turn of the pencil contouring and shading. Finally revealing an exquisite image, mesmerizing to look at and impossible to forget.

- If you grew up in the south, there's a good chance you've enjoyed a fried pie. A true southern delicacy. A while back, Laura Faber traveled to Giles County and met a couple making fried pies the delicious, good old fashioned way.

- About 60 miles south of Nashville sits the quaint little town of Lynnville, Tennessee in Giles County. 59 homes and businesses sit on the historic register here. We came to town today to check out one business that's making some history of its own by frying up pies. Think fruit filling or other sweetness wrapped in dough, similar to a pie crust and deep fried. Add a scoop of ice cream or whipped cream and you've got a bowl full of nostalgia. Lynnville Fried Pies has been serving up sweetness since 2014. Chuck and Patty Nicks are the owners. Okay, so who's the baker? Were any of you bakers?

- No.

- Like Chuck, were you a secret baker in your young life in California?

- No, never. Never.

- And he still is.

- It really started about the building. It was grandma's market. And we tore everything outta the Place and redid everything. And then we stood back and looked at it and said, "That looks pretty good."

- Now what are we gonna do?

- What are we gonna do with it now?

- [Laura] Chuck is originally from Tennessee and remembers eating fried pies as a boy. Patty, who is from California, had never heard of them before.

- A fried pie is definitely a southern delicacy, or a southern dessert I should say. And like Chuck says, he remembers being a kid, and buying a fried pie and stick it in his pocket and carrying it around all day. And so it got squished but they eat them in, you know, so we like to sell them fresh. It's also sometimes called a hand pie. And they're about so big and they're made from a circle. So, and they're closed and crimped in a filling inside. And it's a pastry dough. When we fry it, the pastry is like a, I mean it's a pie pastry and it puffs up and it is flaky and it has a flavored filling inside. And we have nine flavors that we make.

- [Chuck] These are all fruit flavors.

- [Patty] They're fruit flavors, they're all sweet.

- [Laura] Everything here at the Lynnville Fried Pie company is homemade. The dough and the fillings. Chuck and Patty sell nine different flavors.

- [Staff] The dough is very important.

- [Laura] 650 to 800 pies are made every day. They are built in stages, cut into circles first, then filled.

- Each filling has a different amount of scoop in it.

- [Laura] The perfect crimped edges come from a hand cranked machine, then they are carefully fried to a golden brown.

- We need to let those cool a little bit before we put them up front.

- [Laura] I read a lot online about the flaky crest. You can't tell me everything about that, can you?

- No.

- Can't tell you anything about that.

- [Laura] It's a secret that you're protecting, how you get these crest so flaky.

- [Patty] It is a secret. Because we have a lot of people who come in and request and wanna know if we use this or we use that, you know, it's the secret sauce. So we do protect that.

- [Laura] Customers come from all over. Many are tourists, lots of regulars like their son Evan and grandson Caleb, like Slim and Bonnie Marler.

- [Slim] I'm having a cherry fried pie.

- [Laura] And is that your favorite?

- [Slim] Cherry is my favorite.

- [Laura] And what is it about it that makes it so great?

- The taste is phenomenal and it reminds me of my aunts. My aunt used to make these homemade and she has complimented them phenomenally 'cause she said they're better than the ones that she's ever made homemade.

- So we came in and met Pat and Chuck and they're just so fresh and delicious. You just can't resist them.

- [Laura] You're eating what flavor today?

- [Bonnie] Chocolate.

- [Laura] The Marlers own a bed and breakfast and gift these fried pies to guests. Everyone has their favorite.

- [Patty] I love chocolate. I'm a chocolate person. And our chocolate pie is wonderful. Our filling is very rich and creamy and we make all of our fillings here in the store. And Blackberry I think is wonderful.

- [Chuck] I'm a lemon fan, but that's-

- [Patty] Yeah, the lemon. Yeah, lemon is really good.

- [Laura] What did I read your top three sellers are?

- [Chuck] Apple, peach, and chocolate.

- [Laura] Those are the top three. I'm interested in the coconut cream one.

- [Chuck] Oh yes.

- [Patty] It's like a coconut cream pie. And it has shaved coconut in it.

- All right.

- All right. I want a chocolate fried pie.

- Sweet wife?

- For my sweet wife. You know, since you mentioned it, I feel if I don't get her something.

- [Patty] That was my purpose.

- I knew you put a guilty upon this.

- [Laura] Chuck and Patty have had other careers before this one. They never would've guessed this would be their retirement job. With a staff that's like family, serving up a dish of deliciousness that happens to bring back happy memories for lots of people has been priceless.

- [Patty] We do something that people don't, you know, it's unique. It's different for them and everybody's happy. And when they leave, they're happy. So it gives you good feeling

- Back to the old is forever new. Keeping something that has been around for a long time. And when customers come in and we get into a conversation, we'll say, "If we come in second to grandma, we feel like we've won and we put a smile on your face while you're doing it."

- Well that's it for this week. Visit our website at tennesseecrossroads.org or watch us on the PBS app and we'll see you next time.

- [Narrator] "Tennessee Crossroads" is brought to you in part by.

- [Narrator] Students across Tennessee have benefited from over $7.5 billion we've raised for education, providing more than 2 million scholarships and grants. The Tennessee Lottery. Game-changing, life-changing fun.

- [Narrator] Discover Tennessee trails and byways where adventure, cuisine, and history come together. With 16 scenic driving trails, you can discover why Tennessee sounds perfect. Trips can be planned at TNTrailsAndByways.com.

- [Narrator] The co-op system in Tennessee consists of independently owned co-ops, driven to serve farmer owners, rural lifestyle customers, and their communities throughout Tennessee and in five neighboring states. More at ourcoop.com.

- [Narrator] Middle Tennessee State University College of Liberal Arts helps students explore the world, engage minds, enrich lives, and earn a living. More at mtsu.edu/cla.