Episode 3919

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- This week we'll see what's brewing in Sparta. Visit a one-of-a-kind B&B in Joelton, take a heartwarming train ride, and share a cup of coffee from the Emerald Isle. Even if you're not Irish, you're lucky you tuned in. I'm Ketch Secor, welcoming you to "Tennessee Crossroads." Our first story takes us to Sparta, where the crew found a unique brewery with an unusual name, taken from a nearby stream named after a Cherokee chief. Cindy Carter has the details.

- [Cindy] In Sparta, Tennessee, the obvious chemistry between brothers Don and Dave Sergio.

- Hose dancing, hose dancing dude.

- [Cindy] Is poured into every glass of craft beer they make.

- We've always had an interest in making stuff from scratch or whatever, and we just came up with this idea of making beer.

- [Cindy] The brothers Sergio are the owners of the Calfkiller Brewing Company. Bar, beer garden and beer.

- There's a philosophy behind what we do. We have a philosophy that we feel is a little different than a lot of philosophies, it's a simple one, but it has worked for us. You know what I'm saying? We don't use a whole lot of weird things.

- [Cindy] Don and Dave started brewing together in 2001. Don bought this property a few years later, and turned the horse barn next to his house into the brother's home brew hub. Soon they were brewing 40 to 50 gallons every weekend, just for friends and family.

- But we would just be out there selling our services, doing our thing, making concoctions for weddings and things of that nature. And it was kind of fun, we really, really enjoyed it. And then we had an idea that we'd get, we'd take it to the next level where we'd get legal and have a side business, you know?

- [Cindy] Going legit wasn't easy. The brothers had to cut through a lot of red tape to get here.

- We ended up like fighting laws and fighting beer boards, and building a whole nother building over time. And like just going through the steps of trying to figure out what it takes to actually have a brewery, in a little small place in his backyard.

- [Cindy] With time and persistence, the Sergios had no trouble tapping into a market eager to taste both traditional and non-traditional flavors and IPAs, carefully crafting what they call their beer identity.

- We kind of fell in love with a yeast strain, and we sort of focused on that yeast strain and making beers that have, like a similar flavor because that was the idea anyways, to try to build beers that tastes like Calfkiller beers, sort of, you know what I'm saying?

- [Cindy] It's that simple continuity, the brothers say, that allows them to really challenge themselves to think outside of the beer box, adding in distinctive and interesting flavors and notes. If that doesn't strike your fancy, the brothers have plenty of other options that often incorporate seasonal ingredients. Several flavors rotate on and off their menu, but their most popular brews are always on tap.

- The Grassroots Ale. And so the Grassroots is one of, probably that's the beer, it's like, you know, people always ask, you know, if you could only make one beer, if you had to give up all the other beers, what would you make? And that would probably, for me, it would probably be the beer that I would make, because it's got like a nice little hoppy tone to it, but it's not overwhelming, it's got some nice little caramel and honey notes that kind of like meld through, and so it's just a really nice little easy beer. The J. Henry Original Mild, which is actually named after our delivery driver, it's leaving in the van right now. And so it gives you a nice flavor of coffee, chocolate, caramel, and tobacco, but it drinks really easily.

- And Calf Killer Brewery is a great spot to take it easy. Even resident pup Klaus likes to chill out in this White County watering hole. The brewery is named after this, the Calfkiller River. Now, this is more than just a landmark, every ounce of beer is brewed with water from this stream. And the brothers admit, the name is a bit of an acquired taste.

- But yeah, for some reason, in 2014, we got voted third worse brewery name in the country.

- [Cindy] But you stand by it?

- We do.

- Oh, yeah, yeah.

- [Don] Yeah, we wear it as a badge of honor.

- [Cindy] By honoring the river that brings Calfkiller beer to life, the brothers Sergio are also embracing the community that supports their growing enterprise. 85% of what they make is distributed, and for both Don and Dave, beer runs are personal.

- [Dave] We knew early on that we wanted to be the guys that actually made the beer, but we also wanted to be the guys that actually showed up at the bar with the beer.

- And relationships are important to Don and Dave. Their brotherly bond has crafted more than beer. They've created a unique spot in rural Sparta for quality brews and connection.

- [Dave] It's fun, it's like, you know, you get up, and at the end of the day, it's like when, you know, all the hard work and all the sweating, and all the time and effort you put in, the best thing is that at the end of the day, there's a nice cold beer waiting for you.

- Thanks, Cindy. Well, family traditions run deep here in the South. And coming up in our next story, Miranda Cohen travels to Joelton, where one young man is keeping his family legacy alive by serving up recipes that were made famous by his grandmother.

- [Miranda] This is Carter Hach, and this hidden property in Joelton, Tennessee, called Hachland Hill, has been in his family for almost a century.

- My official title is Executive Chef, however, I'm really a jack of all trades and just do whatever it takes. I do hear stories every day of people who were touched by my grandmother in some kind of way over the years. My grandmother, whose name was Phila Rawlings Hall, her family came over in the early 1900s from Switzerland, and she was a Rawlings in her maiden name, so really settled this road that we're sitting at the end of. She grew up as a little girl loving to cook.

- [Cindy] Phila Hach was a true culinary pioneer, and a real renaissance woman, as a flight attendant for both American Airlines and Pan Am in the 1940s, she was introduced to exotic cuisines from around the globe.

- [Carter] On those times abroad, really honed in on her passions, staging and kitchens at the Hotel Savoy in London, Copenhagen, Paris, and where have you. And over time, brought that back to home, to Tennessee with her, eventually to host the first cooking show in the South from '50 to '56, and authoring a number of cookbooks. And ultimately, that ended up with her opening Hachland Hill in 1955.

- Today, Phila Hach's legacy, Hachland Hill, is located in the shadow of her childhood home, and is a spacious event venue and destination bed and breakfast. This retreat boasts two rustic inns, both indoor and outdoor dining options, and endless possibilities.

- The property was special to her already, and over the last four or so years, it's been graced by, her, my father and me all bring something special to it. And corporate retreats, creative retreats, weddings, it's every single person who comes on to the property, leaves some kind of mark on the property, and that's what she definitely welcomed.

- The wooded vistas offer scenic overlooks, a gently rolling creek, and several options for overnight accommodations, each with something special. Carter, this property is so beautiful, and everywhere you look, there's something else to see and so much history. So this room was actually a schoolhouse, right?

- Yeah, so it was the oldest schoolhouse in Robertson County, and my grandmother had fallen in love with it. The idea of an institution, housing students, the hospitality of it all. She had the logs chalked with numbers and brought here to be repurposed into one of our most popular overnight rooms.

- It's really beautiful, and you can actually stay in this room.

- You can. So Hachland Hill sits on about 100 acres, and borders Lake Marrowbone. Three wooded trails, persimmon trees, blackberry bushes, all kinds of wild animals, turkey, deer, throughout the property. And a creek really splits the property, and that's what defines it, there's a natural spring about 300 yards up from the cabin.

- [Cindy] And of course, what is putting Holland Hill on the culinary map is the food, inspired by the family matriarch, but now in the hands of the next generation. The young boy who grew up cooking alongside his grandmother Phila, is now a classically trained chef. And like his famous grandmother, he too traveled the world and sought out influences from far off cultures and cuisines and brought them all back home to Tennessee. And now as the executive chef, he is committed to bringing the very best and local flavors to his farm-to-table meals.

- As a chef, I like to work with the seasons, and really preserve the land. My grandmother always said "steeped in nature," which I think is a cute saying. I source all of our food within a 50-mile radius. On the property, we have honey, we have blackberries. Persimmons, make a great persimmon Ozark pudding. And ramps are abundant right now.

- [Cindy] As an accomplished chef and cookbook author in his own right, Hach hopes to elevate his family's classic recipes, all while staying true to his roots.

- If I'm ever unsure of myself, I know I can just pull out one of her old books and find something that'll please everyone. It means the world to me to be at the helm of a business that my grandmother had started almost a hundred years ago. And to carry on her legacy, hospitality and food is something really special to me, I'm a fifth generation in it, and it's something that changes with time too. And it's an honor to be able to take it into the new day, and be able to, at the same time, pay my respects as an homage to my grandmother, and all the people who defined hospitality for me.

- Thanks Miranda. Well, more than eight decades ago, a tradition began in the Appalachian region that continues to this day. It involves a train, Santa Claus and thousands of gifts. Laura Faber rode that train last year, and it'll be rolling again soon.

- [Laura] Every year on the Saturday before Thanksgiving, in the chilly darkness, a very early morning in Shelby, Kentucky, one of the nation's longest-running holiday traditions begins. This is the CSX Santa Train, which has been running this route since 1943, carrying Santa more than a hundred volunteers and 15 tons of gifts.

- [Attendees] Merry Christmas.

- [Joe] We know that it's part of the heart and soul of this community, and they look forward to it every year.

- [Laura] CSX CEO, Joe Hendricks says, the train starts in Kentucky, moves through Virginia, and ends in Kingsport, Tennessee. The countryside is stunning, but the purpose of the annual Santa train outs shines the beautiful vistas.

- It's a true testament to who we are at CSX. It's about service, it's about community, it's about our employees, and it's just an environment where we can bring some holiday spirit and holiday cheer to so many people throughout Appalachia.

- For 82 years, the Santa Train has traveled this 110-mile route, delivering gifts and cheer to thousands of Appalachian families. This is Fremont, Virginia, one of 13 stops. Crowds size ranges from in the hundreds to the thousands. We met families who've been coming for generations, many of them who came when they were kids, and now are bringing their own kids. This is the Eltridge family.

- I got this like bag and some teddy bears, and I got like a coloring set inside and gloves to keep you warm.

- So it's exciting?

- Yeah.

- [Laura] Is this your first time here?

- My second time.

- We just moved here about three years ago, so.

- [Laura] Okay, and what do you think about the whole experience?

- I love it, they were so thrilled last year that we had to come again this year.

- A little toy crab and some other stuff here too.

- [Laura] What do you think of this?

- Oh, I think this is the most beautiful thing ever. I love that this happens for like kids and families and stuff. That really means a lot. It's really beautiful, sorry. I could almost cry, it's really beautiful.

- [Laura] Longtime crossroads viewers might remember that decades ago, the late great Joe Elmore rode the train.

- Last call for Marty.

- [Laura] While the mission is the same, the Santa train has only gotten bigger and better. Destiny Clemens is the Santa Train coordinator for the town of Kingsport, and started volunteering when she was 18. She's never missed one since, thanks to one monumental moment.

- I was a little girl, pajamas on, short sleeve shirt, house shoes, and I said, I have to find this little girl coat. I went back and I dug and dug through boxes and boxes and boxes, I found a little red coat, fur coat, matching hat. We pulled it out. The mom let me get the little girl up on the truck, we tried it on, and was fit perfectly. And I asked her mom if I could please take a picture. She let me take a picture, she left, and I sobbed. That moment got me, it hooked me, and I said, this is what I want to be a part of for the rest of my life, and I've been so lucky to be allowed to be a part of it.

- [Laura] How CSX pulls this off logistically is nothing short of amazing. This train and this event are well oiled machines. Dozens of volunteers pack bags in between each stop, there are bins and bins of gifts, wrapping paper, backpacks, winter weather apparel. And then, they have about 20 minutes on the ground to pass it all out. At the same time...

- [Children] Santa.

- [Laura] Santa and his elves toss gifts to outstretched hands. Everyone is excited to see the man in red. Sherry has been coming since she was four years old.

- Didn't know whether I was gonna get to see Santa, this time or not. You never know, it might be last time.

- [Laura] That's right.

- I'm 62, so you never know.

- You just keep your eyes open to keep that camera rolling. We've got magic all the way into Kingsport. The carrying the generational families in here, the great grandmothers and grandfathers standing there with that infant, you know, starting the tradition all over again, is just something you can't give. And then the people that will hand out the gift off that comes off to somebody that needs it, it's truly something I look forward to every year.

- [Laura] One of several partners, Soles4Souls out of Nashville, donates about 5,000 pieces of winter weather apparel. Board chair Angela Harrell and COO Mike Shirey were not prepared for the emotion.

- It's having connections with people that you've never seen before, who are here. You're part of a history, a legacy, that they themselves may have experienced as children, that children will experience for their entire lives. And so just to be a part of that, just for a little small moment.

- Everyone seems overjoyed whenever they're receiving it. And we see, just looking into the eyes of the folks that are receiving the bags and the toys and everything, it's incredible to see how meaningful it is to them. It is clearly a family event.

- [Laura] A gift for the givers and receivers.

- There's a scarf.

- [Parent] A toboggan.

- Yeah a toboggan, some headphones-

- [Laura] Merry Christmas.

- [Parent] Merry Christmas.

- And a 23-in-one game.

- [Laura] Okay, what do you think?

- I like it.

- I think it's great, I mean, we're originally from South Carolina, and there's not stuff like this in our area. And to bring a whole community together and just do stuff like this, it's great. Like, you can't ask for nothing better.

- Well, I've been here since I can remember, it's a family tradition, it kind of kicks off the holiday season for us.

- [Laura] Hendricks believes the railroad is a steward of the heritage and history of this region. CSX has moved coal and other goods through this corridor of the Blue Ridge subdivision since 1827.

- Two thirds of the population live in our region where we do business, and we touch almost every community. And so our employees are connected to the communities, and we feel a sense of purpose, to the communities we live in and serve, to bring joy, also obviously economic vitality, but to bring joy and holiday spirit, and this connects all those dots. And every child deserves, you know, that joy of seeing Santa Claus, and, hey, Santa, Santa Santa, and the gift, when you give them a bear, and that smile, every child deserves that. You can't go on the Santa train on without, you know, needing a Kleenex more than once or twice, because of just the interaction you have with people and the opportunity to give, and the joy they bring.

- [Laura] At the end of each stop, the team boards the train, the engineer gives a whistle, Santa waves his dismissal, and we hear him exclaim as he rides out of sight.

- Merry Christmas, "Tennessee crossroads," ho, ho, ho, ho, ho, ho, ho.

- [Laura] And to all a good night.

- Thanks, Laura. Well, our next story is about a place Joe Elmore found a while back that offers a taste of Celtic cuisine in the town of Tullahoma. It's owned by a couple whose trips to Ireland and Scotland inspired them to open the gathering spot of their dreams.

- [Reporter] The Emerald Isle of Ireland is far away from the town of Tullahoma, Tennessee. Yet after you discover flags fronting this restored 1920s craftsman home, you might feel a whole lot closer. Inside the Celtic Cup, the decor is reminiscent of a 19th-century pub. The food and drink are genuine, and the mood is friendly. The proud owners, Chris and Denise Smith opened the place when Chris retired from the military while stationed at Arnold Air Force Base. At the time, their sights were simply on a traditional coffee shop.

- We've had a lot of different military assignments, and one of the things that we would do is try to find a local coffee house at our new assignment, right? Because that's kind of the hub, you get the feel of the community that way. And when we came here to Tullahoma, we started looking around, it was like, where's-

- [Denise] There wasn't one.

- Where's the coffee house? There wasn't one. And so, in the back of our mind all this time, we had this idea that Tullahoma needs a coffee house.

- [Reporter] But not just any coffee shop, this place needed a special identity, a theme, if you will.

- We tried different themes. We had one-

- On paper, just kind of brainstorming it all.

- One, it was a fifties diner, you know, with black and white tile and that kind of stuff. But I think this fits us much better. We tied the Celtic with the coffee house, and people like, well, Celts don't drink coffee, or didn't drink coffee, but you're missing the point, this is kind of model death of a Irish pub.

- [Reporter] The Celtic Cup has enjoyed a dedicated local following, and a growing number of out-of-town visitors. After you take in the warm pub-like feel of the place, well, you can enjoy a proper cup of tea, or coffee, just about any way you want it, even with a little bit of extra Irish spirit. Now, some people just come for the scones and other pastries, or a taste of Italy from the gelato Bar. On the menu though, you'll find a selection of authentically made Celtic lunch favorites.

- [Denise] We have scotch eggs, dragon eggs.

- [Chris] A dragon egg is a spicy version of a scotch egg. And if you dunno what the scotch egg is, like, you take a boiled egg, you wrap it in sausage, and then we bake ours off.

- [Reporter] Denise also makes a tasty Irish version of Welsh rabbit.

- The cheese sauce that I make has 4-year-old aged Irish cheddar in it, and about five types of mustard. And so that's the sauce, and then we put Irish Dubliner cheese on that, and then the rasher, if you're not familiar with the rasher, it's Irish back bacon. And then we put tomatoes on it, and then more cheese, and then you toast it. And so we built our Celtic menu over time, making sure that we did it right, when we went to Ireland and we went to Scotland, and we tasted the foods and we talked to the locals, and then you find people who have been there who know it, You know, a local Scotsman or an Irishman who can authenticate it for you and say, yeah, that's just like grandmother made.

- [Reporter] Once a week, the upstairs dining room is occupied by the Highland Rim Tatters. Now, tattering is a technique for handcrafting durable lace from series of knots and loops.

- Tatting is more of what's considered a new lace, it's only been around for a couple hundred years.

- [Reporter] For a truly decadent treat, there's always the old Irish tradition of afternoon tea, complete with finger sandwiches, scones, cakes, and fruit. And after all this, it seems like a traditional nap might be an order. The Smiths moved around a lot during Chris' military career.

- Well, thank you.

- Thanks for coming in.

- Love your place.

- Thanks.

- [Reporter] But they found a true home here in Tullahoma, a place where together, they can pursue a Celtic American dream.

- And it's taken us 14 years to get to this point. But yeah, we're really having a blast right now. We've had folks come in here, and they see the place and they go, wow, could you open a place like this in LA, or San Francisco or Chicago, or even New York, we've had some folks from New York, and we got no, no, this is a one-of-a-kind.

- Well, friends, we've come to the close of another show, but you can catch us anytime at tennesseecrossroads.org, or on the PBS app, and tune in again next week. Thanks for watching, everybody.

- Hey, "Crossroads" fans, it's Morgan from the Ramblin' Bee out in Gallatin. I'm still blown away at the support of the "Crossroads" community. Y'all really show up. I still have customers comment on the segment, and I'm truly, truly grateful for the impact that "Crossroads" brought to my store and my local community.

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

- [Announcer] Students across Tennessee have benefited from over seven and a half billion dollars we've raised for education, providing more than 2 million scholarships and grants. The Tennessee Lottery game changing, life changing fun.

- [Announcer] Discover Tennessee Trails & 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 tnvacation.com.

- [Announcer] 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.