Episode 3601

- [Narrator] "Discover Tennessee: Trails and Byways" discover Tennessee's adventure, cuisine, history and more made-in-Tennessee experiences, showcased among these 16 driving trails. More at tntrailsandbyways.com.

- This time on Tennessee Crossroads, we visit a farm to tap brewery in Columbia. Then we'll meet a master wood carver in Gatlinburg. We'll visit a mom-and-pop barbecue joint in Smyrna. And wind up in Memphis for some dessert at Gibson's donuts. Quite a tasty show, I think. I'm Joe Elmore and Welcome to "Tennessee Crossroads." Our first story is for the farmers and beer connoisseurs, in our audience. The two are partnering more than ever to create the perfect craft brew, all made here in Tennessee. Laura Faber taps into the details of this story from a brewer and hops farmer in Columbia.

- [Laura] The craft beer is flowing in Columbia at Bad Idea Brewery. All over the state, craft beer breweries have exploded. Since 2010, the number has more than doubled. Three outta four Tennessee beer drinkers say, they prefer craft beer and are willing to pay more for a local flavor.

- I, kind of, had my great beer awakening after college. We went to grad school in Memphis and you know, I was used to Bud Light, Natty Light stuff like that. College beer, gas station beer. And had my first true craft beer at the Flying Saucer. And it was Dogfish Head's Midas Touch. You know, it has saffron and Muscat grape in it. And I thought, my God, you can put all this stuff into beer and it tastes cool. And from then I was hooked.

- [Laura] Zach Fox, owner of Bad Idea Brewery, in Columbia, Tennessee, is also the town librarian, a masters of science information professional. After his first taste of craft beer, Zach says he checked out every book in the library and started studying how to brew beer. It took 10 years of research, home brewing and exhibiting his beer before Zach made Bad Idea the best idea he ever had, besides marrying his wife, Cassie.

- I've got an awesome partner and we were sitting around, couples, you know, eating dinner. And we kind of flushed out a business plan. And my wife looked at me and she said, "This is a really bad idea." There were a little, few more expletives there, but you know, probably not public television friendly.

- The experimentation is the thing with craft beer, actually getting a taste of local culture and community. Bad Idea doesn't have a flagship beer. They've created 200 unique flavors, so far.

- It usually hits me when I'm, like, standing in front of the refrigerator at 3:00 AM, grabbing a snack or something. Or when I'm in the, you know, junk food aisle at the grocery store.

- [Laura] The other good idea that was always important to Zach, was to source ingredients locally, as much as possible. His hops come from Eric Landis of Columbia's Tipsy Mule Hops Farm. Originally from Oregon, Eric knows that latitude is key to growing great hops. And at 35.6, Columbia is just in the right range.

- I bought six plants, just thinking, "Maybe, let's see what happens." The six grew. The next year, I had a hundred. Year after that, I think, I had 250. And now, I'm up to 500. I have four varieties of hops. I have nuggets for bittering hops and then the other three varieties I have, Cascades, Cashmeres and Chinooks are technically, they are aroma hops. That in the last 10 years, the acreage of hop production in the United States, has doubled. And now, it's at 60 some thousand acres of hops, in the United States. So that doubling, and then if you look at the varieties that are being grown, it has changed over those 10 years and it's become more aroma hops. There's bittering hops and aroma hops and it's become a lot more on the aroma side. So, I think, it's reflective of the consumers, maybe new consumers, you know, new age groups, coming and tasting beers and being a little more experimental with what they want.

- [Laura] Craft beer brewers are chemists and both Eric and Zach love the scientific collaboration. So does the Tennessee Craft Brewers Guild. Executive director, Sharon Cheek says, "This natural partnership is actually an official state initiative, called Farm to Tap."

- Beer, from the very beginning, was all about using local ingredients, going back thousands of years. And so, I think, you know, we've seen that trend, lately in the last several years. Especially since the pandemic, people wanna shop local, they wanna know where their money's going. And in our case, we wanna keep money right here in Tennessee. So, if a Tennessee brewer can buy ingredients from a Tennessee farmer and all of that money stays right here in our communities, it's better for our state. And it's better for our industries.

- [Laura] Beer is a personal thing. And the creativity with craft beer flavors is what drives the cult following. Okay, Eric, so this is what you deliver to brewers.

- This is correct.

- Okay.

- This is what I deliver to brewers, either in a dried state, like it is now, or straight from the plant.

- Okay.

- Right

- Now, what is, there is a money part.

- There is a money part to this, and we can open this one, and is the Lupulin, which is inside each hop. And it is the yellow, you see a yellowish powder, in there basically.

- [Laura] And why is that so important?

- [Eric] And that is where all of the oils and the acids are in the plant. So, that's what the brewer is going to extract. When they make their beer, they're extracting that out of the hop.

- [Laura] On this day, what is boiling in the fermentation tank is a special "Tennessee Crossroads" brew, made with products that the show has featured, over the years.

- We're gonna be throwing in Moon Pies, Goo-Goo Clusters, Willis Shortbread, Kernels Popcorn. And then we're gonna be making a stout with that. We're gonna be boiling that down, adding in hops from Tipsy Mule Hop Farm and then the resulting product, we're gonna be pitching Bootleg Biology yeast, that was propagated here in Tennessee, as well.

- [Laura] Temperature is important. A change of one or two degrees can impact the mash.

- This water's going in at 170 degrees. And we're shooting for a target mash temperature, in here of like 154, since we're making a stout today,

- [Laura] Wait, what's going on in there, now?

- [Zach] So right now it's grain. There's Goo-Goo Clusters and there's shortbread in there, right now. So, you're gonna just-

- Whole thing?

- [Zach] Whole thing. You're just gonna aim for the hole there.

- Woo-hoo.

- [Laura] It's this organic mashing together of two passions that gives everyone something to drink to.

- It's that connection. I'm not taking my hops. I'm not processing them into pellets and sending them off to a brewery, I've never been to.

- You know, you're lifting up someone else in your community, that's got a business that's, you know, helping your product. And you're, you know, kind of giving them a platform too, to say, "Hey, you know, I contributed to that." And you know, we did something awesome together.

- Thanks, Laura. If you've ever tried to carve wood or whittle, as we called it back home, you know, it's harder than it looks. In our next story. Miranda Cohen travels to Gatlinburg, where she meets an incredibly talented wood carver, who's found the secret to revealing sculptures, hidden away in wood.

- [Miranda] Michael Copas is in his element, chainsaw in hand, covered in shavings, discovering a hidden sculpture, most of us can't quite yet see.

- I'm not intimidated by any design. It's kind of a fun thing to watch because, like I said, I do precision cutting. I'm cutting everything out, right down to it, at first, and still, like, whittling it down. And I've developed these cuts over time.

- [Miranda] The master wood carver started carving caricatures at the Opryland Theme Park, back in the early seventies. A fellow artist suggested he pack up his talent and move to the Great Smokey Mountains and he has been here ever since. In his early days, in Gatlinburg, he met a carving mentor, who was impressed by his talent and was willing to pay for it.

- He said, if I could carve a face in a half of a log, he'd buy every one of 'em.

- [Miranda] Copas started carving full time. He was inspired by the rustic beauty and wildlife in the mountains of East Tennessee. He started with bears, big cats, birds of prey and much more.

- Just wanted to see something. You know like, if I decide I'm gonna carve an eagle in flight, it's because I want to see the carving, that's the only reason, is I just wanna see it.

- [Miranda] And astonishingly, the scale of his masterpieces are life-size, often carved from a single piece of wood.

- I carved the bear's head first. Then I carved the owl. Then I did the cat. I do from table top to monumental pieces of, I think, the tallest carving I've done was 32 feet. But when it's a single piece, you gotta keep the physics in mind. Cause you don't want to create a weak spot.

- He is now known as one of the true masters of the craft. And the Smithsonian Institute maintains a database of his work. Master wood carver, Michael Copas, says, the art of wood carving is really the art of subtraction. He can walk up to a log like this and see what's in there. All he has to do is take away everything that doesn't belong.

- It's one thing to construct a piece, but as an art form, when it's pure subtraction, it has no rival. And it's, kind of, funny to think that you stop when you reach the image. And it's, like it's always been there. That tree grew for the purpose of being that sculpture.

- Michael Copas carves and Paulownia, Sugar Pine, White Pine, Sassafras and Walnut. The type of wood the master chooses depends on the scale and detail of the piece. While he can carve a complete bear in a few hours, it is the smaller increments of time when he finds himself in the zone, completely lost in his work.

- There's very few things in life that the seconds remain fresh. You know, we get caught in the minutes, get caught in the hours and that's what I love about it. Every second is fresh and neither, you know, looking forward on prosperity or looking backward on posterity.

- [Miranda] His exquisitely detailed sculptures have a huge following, many in the hands of devoted private collectors. But thanks to social media, more and more people are getting the opportunity to see his art.

- And every time I start a carving, I put the pictures on Facebook, every stage of the process. And they sell, as quick as I carve them. You know, the last thing I want to see is a bunch of my inventory.

- [Miranda] For Copas, the real joy is in the carving itself. And the masterpieces he discovers in the wood, they're for someone else to enjoy.

- It's the journey, that the pleasures in. And when the carvings done, it's no big deal. No art is finished. It's only abandoned.

- [Miranda] Copas has had great success in these mountains, but he also found much more, a community of fellow carvers and artists and the camaraderie of kindred spirits.

- I love the friends I've made here cause they've been in my life, ever since I've been here.

- [Miranda] Michael Copas is at peace, living in these Hills, surrounded by his lifelong friends, doing exactly what he feels he was intended to do and carving out his legacy along the way.

- Well, it's what I was put here for. A painting is like looking out a window and a sculpture has presence in the room. So they both, you don't feel so alone when you're around art.

- Thanks a lot, Miranda. You know, around here, when barbecue calls, we listen. Recently, we heard some good things about a mom-and-pop place in Smyrna, called Kinfolks. When we went there, we found the owners smoking everything from brisket to baloney.

- [Jerry] This is my passion. I love to cook. I can go 24 hours. I love to see the smiles on people's faces.

- [Joe] Jerry Briton follows his passion, every day and many nights, outside of his barbecue restaurant in Smyrna.

- [Jerry] Right now, I got on some brisket. I got some pork chops. I got some wings on and I got on some pork.

- [Joe] It's almost like a well orchestrated dance, as he nurtures his smoking meats, moving about his four separate grills.

- [Jerry] I need two more.

- [Joe] Jerry's been cooking all of his life and always dreamed of running a restaurant, but to master the art of smoking barbecue, he knew what he was in for.

- A hard, long, drawn-out process. But I had some mentors as I was coming and I took a little bit from each of them. And then I just got out and did it on my own. I messed up a lot of stuff. I messed up a lot of stuff. Burnt up stuff. And then you just sit back. You take a step back and see what you had did wrong, at that point, and I adjusted. And this is where I'm at now.

- [Joe] In 2013, Jerry and wife, Scharneitha, were ready to make the plunge, opening their own place called Kinfolks, here on Hazelwood Drive. Chances are you'll smell the smoke before you see the building. The dining room is small, clean and cozy and, above all else, friendly.

- [Scharneitha] I've always loved customers. I've always liked people. I've always liked talking to people. So, it's just something I always do. No two days are the same here.

- [Joe] What would you say is your job description?

- I actually do mostly the desserts. I may go out and get, maybe something that he may need, you know, in the back part or that they need, something like that. If the truck don't bring it or what have you. But for the most part, wherever I need to fit in is where I get in.

- [Joe] The barbecue plates are big customer favorites, but choosing the main attraction can be difficult. Should it be pulled pork? Or what about their popular brisket? A Texas specialty, many Tennessee chefs avoid.

- It is very challenging, Especially the tenderness or getting, you know, getting the look with the ring in the middle, you know, but with his determination and hard work, he was definitely gonna, you know, get it and he got it.

- [Jerry] Still can't make up your mind? Well, how about a sampler plate with one of everything? Including chicken, ribs and even a hefty pork chop. Naturally, you can get a sandwich. So, why not one of Jerry's special barbecued baloney sandwiches? A thick slice that grilled with cheese, before adding the mustard, pickles and onion. To compliment the barbecue, all the sides are made from scratch, like the old fashioned hand cuts spuds, white beans and this soul food favorite, homemade collared greens.

- [Jerry] We know a cornbread that everybody like. Back in the day, they called it hoe cakes.

- [Joe] Many customers are loyal regulars, like Danny Brewer, who owns a nearby auto repair shop.

- It's real food. It's not something where they open a can and heat and eat. It's nothing like that. It's the real stuff and he's the real guy. And his wife, the whole crew, they all care. And they give a doggone and they want to give people good stuff. It's a fantastic place.

- [Joe] Just about every time I visit a popular barbecue place for a story, I have to ask the same question, knowing I won't get a straight answer. Do you have your own sauce recipe?

- Yes.

- [Joe] And that's it?

- Yes.

- [Joe] Oh, almost forgot to ask. How did they come up with the name, Kinfolks?

- I don't remember people names good. I can remember your face. I just can't remember the names, though. I just call everybody Kinfolks.

- [Joe] While the Brittons have found their barbecue calling, making customers happy with their restaurant there, Jerry has some serious sound advice for anyone who wants the same type of success.

- It's not just to say I got a business. You have to want to do it. You gotta have the hunger for it. You gotta have the heart, the passion and it's a 24 hour, seven day job.

- [Joe] Jerry and Scharneitha don't mind the hours and even the hard work because they love what they do. Fixing first rate barbecue and savory soul food.

- Hi, welcome to Kinfolks.

- [Joe] And above all, treating everybody who comes in like, well, Kinfolks.

- I want 'em to feel like they got treated as our family. I want 'em to feel like we went, we exceeded expectations to make them welcome.

- The city of Memphis has more than its share of iconic places. Well, Graceland, The Peabody. But there's also a donut shop, Danielle Allen visited, that's pretty near and dear to the hearts of Memphians, as well as famous food critics, who consider Gibson's Donuts among the best in the country.

- I want the chocolate with sprinkles.

- [Danielle] When you want a donut, you go to a bakery.

- You want white sprinkle or chocolate sprinkle?

- [Danielle] But when you want a donut and a memorable experience, you go to Gibson's, in Memphis.

- How y'all doing? What can I get for you?

- Chocolate cream. Maple bacon.

- First timers. Here you go. First timers. Here you go. First timers.

- How fun is it to work here?

- [Danielle] Gibson's Donuts is a place where everyone knows your name. And if they don't, they will before you leave.

- I worked across the street from it, over there for 25. And they said, I spent more time over here than I did over there working.

- [Danielle] This is a fast-paced store where the employees are friendly, the coffee is hot and the donuts keep people coming back for more.

- I like their fluffiness. They always are the same. Some donuts you buy, they don't have the same consistency, but they always seem to be the same, no matter what time of the day.

- [Danielle] Gibson has been voted, one of the best donuts in the country. So we ask the owner, what makes you stand out in the crowd?

- We let 'em rise three times, where most donut shops will let 'em rise once. Some will let 'em rise twice, but we let 'em rise three times. That's the biggest key that we do, we might spill a little yeast in there, every once in a while, maybe just a little bit of sugar. But it's just, we give it the tender love and care.

- [Danielle] Don DeWeese has owned Gibson's Donuts for 22 years, but the place has actually been around since 1967. Although he's in charge now, that was not Don's original plan.

- We bought it as an investment for our oldest son, Blair, who graduated in engineering at Mississippi State. He ran it for two years and moved to Italy. My wife took it over and ran it for five years and then she had enough stress. And so, I took it over and started running it there. And then my son, Britton, came back about eight years ago and it takes both of us. It takes both Britton and I now. Try that.

- [Danielle] His son will one day take over. But for now, Don is here every day, greeting everyone who comes in. When he's not doing that, he's working on the large inventory for the store.

- [Don] We're probably the largest single, privately-owned, one-location donut shop in the country. Dawn Foods Products, which is the number one bakery product in the world, says, nobody buys the amount of mix we buy, per week, than we do right here.

- [Danielle] That mix is used to make a wide variety of flavors. Everything from glaze to chocolate, to chocolate with sprinkles, you name it. And every few weeks, they do a little cooking outside the box for their Donut of the Month.

- [Don] This is something that we started. And one of the people at Dawn Foods Products told us about the red velvet with cream cheese icing on it, We said, "Cream cheese?" So, we did that for a month and we took it off and people started fussing. So, we put it back as an everyday item and it still has. We did the same thing with maple bacon. My son invented this maple bacon donut and we used a very, very high, high expensive product of bacon. And we did that for a month, we stopped that, people started complaining. So, now we do that every day. Same thing with the Oreo. Same thing with the lemon drops.

- [Danielle] And if you crave these delicious confections, long after the sun goes down, don't worry, the doors at Gibson's Donuts are always open.

- [Don] We have to put the old stuff away. We have to put the new product out. So, if we're making donuts in the middle of the night and putting the new out, anybody that walks in, we might as well sell 'em something. And some nights, we'll do over a thousand dollars at night, between 10 at night and six in the morning. A lot of that's done, right after 10 o'clock, when we put some donuts on sale, a lot of it early in the morning, right before six, but it's just easier to stay open, than the close.

- [Danielle] Now, if you think this place is busy during the week, you should see it on the weekend. The crowd could include anyone from the singer, Al Green, to the regular, who's been coming here for 40 years. And of course, lots of children.

- [Don] Well, I've got eight and a half grandchildren. And when you get old, like me, your grandchildren are just the best thing in life. So, this is a kid's store. We have sprinkles. And we cater to the kids. And if a lady and a six or seven year old comes up, I'm gonna ask the kid what they want instead of the mama. A red velvet? Okay, get it. The parents appreciate that, the kids do. And if you make that kid have a fun time, next Saturday, they're gonna say, "Daddy, let's go to the donut shop."

- [Danielle] For more than 50 years, Gibson's Donuts has been a staple in Memphis. Now with the help of social media, they're bringing their treats to an even larger crowd, which means more people are hearing about a little shop with big flavors.

- [Don] It's like a jigsaw puzzle, why we're so famous. We don't know how many pieces is in that puzzle. And we don't know which piece is the biggest, but I think social media is probably gonna be the second biggest pieces because the absolute biggest pieces is the quality of our donuts. Thank you. We appreciate you, friend.

- Well with that, we wind up another edition of "Tennessee Crossroads." Thanks for joining us. As always, I wanna suggest to you, visit our website, tennesseecrossroads.org. You can follow us on Facebook. And please join us next week. We'll see you then.

- "Discover Tennessee: Trails and Byways", discover Tennessee's adventure, cuisine, history and more made-in-Tennessee experiences, showcased among these 16 driving trails. More at tntrailsandbyways.com.