Episode 3634

- [Announcer] "Tennessee Crossroads" is made possible in part by-

- [Phil] I'm Tennessee Tech President, Phil Oldham, here in Cookeville, Tennessee's college town, we are bold, fearless, confident, and kind. Tech prepares students for careers by making everyone's experience personal. We call that Living Wings Up. Learn more at tntech.edu.

- This time on "Tennessee Crossroads," pop art meets Picasso, thanks to a Nashville multimedia artist. Then we discover how moonshine made it to a Knoxville bakery. We'll dine at a decades-old Nashville fish house and explore a peaceful retreat in Columbia, called the Blythewood Inn. Well, that's the lineup for this edition of "Tennessee Crossroads." I'm Joe Elmore, glad to have you. Picture this, you take bold colors, mix in music and cubism, apply it to a portrait painting, and what do you get? Well, as Laura Faber shows us in our first story, you're gonna get the creative works of Nashville artist Erin McDermott.

- I think I was just born that way. I'm very right-brained. I started with oil paints and water color and now I've just exclusively acrylic. It's just a really easy medium, so you can wash it with water, you don't need a paint thinner, it's also less messy, really, it's easier to clean up and it's quick to dry.

- [Laura] From bright and bold pieces that lean toward cubism to acrylic portraits of revered musicians and beautiful photographs. This is the work of Erin McDermott.

- I've kind of coined the phrase Popcasso, so it's a little bit of like, pop art mixed with Picasso and maybe even Miro. Like, I just love the bright colors, I love kind of the cubism and I like things to not always necessarily be straightforward. So using different colors on the face than like a normal coloring or stuff like that. It's just, to me it's just more interesting. And I like color. I think color is like my, like my brand I suppose, yeah.

- [Laura] On this day from her kitchen, Erin is working on a large portrait painting of Dolly Parton. It's already sold, by the way, and she's not even finished. There will be several more to come in this series. Okay, Erin, you're working on a portrait of Dolly Parton but this is actually a pun that has to do with the llama that you're working on, right?

- That's right, Dolly, llama. So Dolly Llama, Dolly Parton. Dolly is revered here, and she's pretty much like the Dolly Llama of Nashville.

- Okay, and there's not just, this is gonna be covered with llamas eventually, right?

- That's right, it is. So the whole back part of the canvas will be covered in llamas and they'll all be a little bit different, just to kind of add a little bit of pizazz to the painting.

- [Laura] Erin caught the art bug in middle and high school, thanks to an incredibly supportive and excellent art teacher.

- I've won some awards for jewelry making and some other drawings that I had done in high school. So it just seemed like the next logical step would be to go on to art school, which I was going to do and had planned on until I found the Grateful Dead. And then I decided that I would just make paintings and go on Dead Tour, which is what I did, and then I was able to sell some my stuff that way. So it just seemed like that, it was like the next, again, logical thing to do, just to keep doing it because I was making money.

- [Laura] Every portrait of Jerry Garcia that Erin created sold. It's a magical thing.

- [Erin] It is, I have a lot of Grateful Dead fans, so. ♪ Says I'm leaving goin' home ♪

- [Laura] Erin came to Nashville to make it in music and for a decade, wrote songs and fronted her own band. But she missed art. Her love of music explains why she blends the two together often, like this piece of a woman with a head full of music

- [Erin] It's always in my head that music is kind of in there as well. I just, I've always really loved Aretha Franklin and she, in this particular photo of her, she was young and just kind of looked like she was like, ready for something. Just the look on her face was very like, and she just looked powerful and empowered. I just kind of have to love John Prine, I know. Yeah, I painted that right after he passed away, so and I know that was just, it was like, as I was saying to someone, it was like the collective tears of Nashville. Everybody was really feeling the loss of him.

- [Laura] Erin's photographs are stunning, too. This one was chosen for the permanent collection of the Nashville Library, downtown. She has a painting there, too.

- I'm also a photographer. At least I would say that I would dabble in it. And I was accepted into a photography contest that they had down at the Frist, and it was about just the ever-evolving community here in Nashville. So it was like the before and now of what we're seeing in Nashville. And one of my photographs was featured in there, and they have now kept it in the permanent collection in the Nashville Public Library. And then the painting was a painting of a blues musician that I had kind of pulled off a YouTube video. And they have purchased that, and that you can actually get now. You can rent it out at the library, which is great, and keep it for a month, and you can rent out a bunch of other different paintings by local artists as well.

- [Laura] You can also find Erin's work on her social media sites and website, and she does commission work. In the meantime, she'll just be creating distinctive artwork from her Madison home.

- Thanks, Laura. Whether it was your grandfather's barn or your great uncle's hidden still, many Tennesseeans know someone who brewed up a potent batch of moonshine. Well, on our next story, Miranda Cohen takes us to Knoxville, to visit a gourmet cookie shop where the Tennessee tradition is being tucked into delicious baked goods.

- [Miranda] Rick Dunlap is from McMinnville, Mike Maddux is from Mount Juliet, and Robin Maddux is from Knoxville. And this dynamic trio has been friends for nearly 40 years. It all started back at the University of Tennessee. From their sophomore year, Rick Dunlap and Mike Maddux were college roommates. Mike and Robin were sweethearts, now married for 35 years.

- I saw something in him that, he just became my dearest friend. And here 40 years later, he's still my dearest friend. He's a thinker. And so it doesn't shock me at any of his ideas that he comes up with.

- Robin thinks I'm a serial entrepreneur so I would say that I'm guilty as charged.

- [Miranda] So no one was surprised when Mike opened a pizza restaurant in Knoxville, in his 20s. Always the thinker, he wanted to make his business stand out so he talked his new bride into making her delicious homemade cookies.

- [Mike] So we started sending out the cookies and with the pizzas that day and about thirty, forty-five minutes later, the phone starts ringing off the hook and it's people not calling back to order an extra pizza, but they're wanting extra cookies.

- I thought it was amazing. I thought it was just like, unlike any cookie I'd ever tried before.

- [Miranda] Fast forward 30 years. Now, older, wiser, and with the desire to do something a little different, the old friends were brought back together by fate and those amazing cookies. Robin still had the great recipe for the cookies they called Rocky Top and Peanut Butter Cup Rocky Top, but they wanted to give their new cookies a little something extra.

- And I knew that there was one thing that was smoking hot at the time, and that was moonshine. It had just been legalized. The whole idea for the moonshine was really, just to get people's attention.

- [Rick] It was such a novel thing, but also delicious. You know, novelty only goes so far. And when they taste, it was unlike anything they had ever tried.

- [Robin] So we started the moonshine, it was like just trial and error starting another one. Can we do one with strawberry moonshine? Well, how about orange moonshine? Well, how about, you know? So we just kinda went from there and just started creating different recipes

- [Miranda] And that's how the Moonshine Mountain Cookie Company started. Now they have two locations in Knoxville and a busy mail order business. And though each cookie has a little something special, they are still completely family friendly.

- [Mike] This is not an adulterated product in any way. We had it tested by the state and they kind of laughed at us. You're not gonna taste the the alcohol. Some people are disappointed about that and some people are happy about it but it's safe for kids, it's safe for everyone.

- [Miranda] In fact, spirited baking has been around for centuries.

- [Rick] We know from our past that a lot of our grandmothers or great-grandmothers put alcohol in their baking and that that extends the life of it.

- For me in East Tennessee, when you say moonshine, you think Tennessee. It helps keep our cookies moist. And as the alcohol bakes off, most bakers will tell you that the alcohol bakes off, the flavoring that was used in that flavored moonshine stays and it gives the cookie an extra flavor burst.

- [Rick] It really does accentuate the taste and the moisture content.

- [Miranda] And the founders of the Moonshine Mountain Cookie Company didn't have to look far to find the perfect libation. They used Old Smokey Moonshine.

- We're very proud of being a Tennessee company so we're very proud that it's Tennessee moonshine.

- [Miranda] In the beginning, they enlisted a small army of family and friends. Now they have a full-time staff who carefully oversee the mixing of only the finest ingredients.

- [Robin] We just don't wanna skimp. And we're like, you know what, we think our cookie's worth it. We put a lot of love and a lot of time into it, so we want 'em to be the best.

- And the Moonshine Mountain Cookie Company cookies are true to their name. In each cookie, there is a little splash of moonshine and if you look closely on each cookie, there is a mountain.

- [Rick] We found the novel approach to use a ice cream scoop, so therefore, we had Moonshine Mountain because our cookies are shaped like a mountain. I think it's our signature. I think every single business needs a brand and something that reminds them of what it is, and to stand out from the others

- [Miranda] And stand out they do. In fact, the cookies made with a little secret recipe, are hardly a secret anymore. They will ship all over the country from this Kingston Pike location. And once you've had one of their creative libation, you'll be coming back for more, with flavors like Berry White, John Lemon, Mint Jagger, Fall and Oats, Happy Pappy, Decadent, Choco Khan and many more. They even make giant cookie cakes with handwritten inscriptions, like Happy Birthday, Congratulations, or even the name of your favorite TV show.

- We try to be creative and a wholesome company and we put the two together and we really are just looking for fun. And we want it to be an excellent product. But we want to be a wholesome company that has fun and is fun.

- [Mike] We really emphasize the customer service because I can't control whether you like our cookie or not but we can certainly control whether you were treated well when you came in.

- [Rick] We put out a product that comes from Tennessee from products of Tennessee, and nothing makes us happier than to represent the State of Tennessee with a cookie that is worthy of all Tennesseeans.

- Thank you, Miranda. You know, it takes something special to keep a family-owned food business thriving for over 50 years, especially when it has an out-of-the way location, limited seating and a menu with basically one item, fish. But that's what attracts people from all over Nashville to Ed's Fish and Pizza House. And whether they dine in or carry it out, well, they swear by it's supremacy and they know better than to order pizza. Music City might be famous for hot chicken but on this corner of North Nashville hot fish has been the star of the show since 1972. That's when the late Ed Morris, Senior, opened Ed's Fish and Pizza House. Later in the early '90s, due to health problems, Ed sold the place to his nephew, Anthony Drumwright, who now operates it with his wife, Pam.

- Neither one of us had even thought of going into the restaurant business. It was trial and error. The younger Ed was still here the older Ed was, feeble. And so he was here and he kind of taught us the ropes. And he did the spaghetti, we do our own spaghetti, so he had a recipe for that. The fish had a special batter. We continued to do that, so we still maintained everything from the beginning.

- [Joe] Oh, there's one big exception, despite what's still in the name.

- [Pam] Don't do pizzas.

- Because the fish business was so booming, we couldn't keep up with both.

- [Joe] I know you probably get tired of people coming in saying, "Well, where's the pizza?"

- I know, they do, they do. They would go, "Do you sell pizza by the slice?" We're like, "No pizza." And they like, "Do you put fish on pizza?" No, we don't, no.

- In fact, the only sign of pizza making around here is, well this old oven, now serving as a file cabinet.

- Hey friend.

- [Joe] The restaurant serves two kinds of fish, whiting, a salt water fish from the Atlantic Ocean, and farm-raised catfish. Both fry up as large, plump, moist filets. And according to Chef Dwight Teasley, they're cooked when you order them, the way you order them.

- [Pam] All right, see you later, thank you.

- Alright, take it easy, yes sir.

- [Dwight] It's good and hot and you get it the way you want it. If you want it crispy, you get it crispy. If you want it hard, you get it hard. The way you order it, that's the way you get it.

- [Joe] Which do you think is the best, the catfish or the whiting?

- I like both of 'em. You know, I sometimes I don't eat but one piece a week, but I gotta eat a piece every week. Like, you got a habit, eating this fish.

- [Joe] Plus you gotta test it too.

- Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's good. You need to try something before you leave.

- [Joe] You know what, I think I will. You ever tempted just to take the pizza off the name?

- No, because that's what people know us by. And you've be surprised, people come and they like, well they asked for Ed's Pizza, Ed's Pizza House, instead of Ed's Fish or Ed's Pizza House, I was looking for the pizza house. But yeah, and they're coming for fish.

- [Joe] While you can order a fish plate, today the signature sandwich was most popular. And unless you indicate otherwise, you'll get yours with mustard, hot sauce, pickles and onions. Cheese is optional. Keeping a decades-old family food tradition alive, is no-doubt demanding, but to Pam, the secret to success is really no secret at all.

- Well, the food, of course, the fish. And then the interaction, we have the interaction with the customers. You can get a conversation about anything, any day, any hour of the day when we're open about something, while they're waiting.

- [Joe] As a sidebar to this fishtail across town in Antioch, Ed Morris, Jr., carries on his own version of the family tradition, on wheels.

- This is skillet-fried like your mama cook at home with corn meal breading, mustard, hot sauce, pickle, and onion. We've got a great homemade spaghetti, a recipe that I stole from my mother, by the way. And you will enjoy it. We guarantee it.

- [Joe] Well, here at the original home of Ed's Fish and Pizza, the future is bright. You see, while Big Anthony eases into retirement his grandson, Little Anthony is eager to take charge, after he graduates from Middle Tennessee State.

- He's already have, I just haven't left. He does it better than I do.

- [Joe] Are you gonna change anything?

- As far as what happens back there in the kitchen? Not really, but you will see maybe a few upgrades in the the modeling design here.

- [Joe] And chances are you still won't be able to get a pizza.

- They'll probably add some young things that young people like to eat, wings or appetizers or something of that nature.

- [Joe] But the, the heart and soul is gonna stay the same.

- It's gonna stay fish now, I'll just have to come back, no, it's got to be fish.

- Some travelers like to fill in their vacations with all kinds of exciting adventures. Others like to build in some time for peace, quiet, and relaxation. Well, if you're in that second group, Rob Wilds says he might have the place you want to check out, the Blythewood Inn in Columbia.

- Even in a smaller city like Columbia, there's always busyness around, the sounds of the 21st century in the air. It might be nice to go back to a quieter time. And on this particular street in Columbia, that time-travel trip begins by going up the walk to Blythewood. Blythewood was built back in 1857, and like many homes, it went from family to family and had many lives as a business. In fact, it was a doctor's clinic, owned by Dinah Vire and her husband. When that phase of the house's life ended and renovation was underway, family friend, Wayne Swope, came along with an idea.

- First walked in and it was like, this place is a bed and breakfast. So over a few bottles of wine, we just decided, hey, let's open a bed and breakfast. Little didn't we know what we were getting into.

- [Rob] Well, after that wine and owner, Dinah Vire won't say exactly how much wine, she agreed to the plan. To her, the house is the star. Each room providing its own highlights for guests who are looking for a gentler time. For instance, the Magnolia Room.

- It would've probably been the master suite of the day, of the 1857 era. It is still one of our biggest-renting space. It is a large bedroom with a its own parlor and full bath. It is almost oval with the exception of one corner. So it's, and we've nestled the bed in front of the windows, so it's just breathtaking when you walk in.

- [Rob] Each room has its own personality, too, like the Scarlet Oak.

- [Dinah] It's outfitted a bit more masculine than the other rooms in the house. The deep red color on the walls nice big bed, king-size bed. The bath in that room, I do know for a fact was added in 1920 to the house.

- [Rob] Not only personality, but statements from some of the rooms. Take for instance, the Hawthorne.

- [Dinah] It was built probably around 1920, but it was built as the sun porch. So it has black and white checked marble, solid, floor. The bed and the armoire, they're true antiques. And they make a statement in the room. They say, "I've stepped back in time "to a more elegant time than we have today."

- [Rob] Which Wayne Swope says, appeals to all sorts of guests.

- [Wayne] I mean, we get a lot of younger folks that come in that have never experienced such grandeur as this, and to be served on china and silver, and it's a whole new experience. Today's lifestyle is much more casual than years past, and so we try to take them back in time and let them experience what it was back then.

- [Rob] The house has many places to pause and reflect. A library with books from an era when just about every family could count a set of encyclopedias among its possessions. There's a bar, if you'd like to have a libation, and if your idea of thoughtful reflection includes a nap, you might take Wayne's recommendation, The Hickory Room.

- [Wayne] My favorite room is Hickory, upstairs. It's a way away from everyone. When everyone's divvying up responsibilities and cleaning the house, I always pick Hickory because I can hide up there and no one can find me. Now I'm telling all my secrets. Like that homemade strawberry bread that Miss Dinah makes?

- [Guest] Yes, I'm enjoying the quiche.

- Well, good.

- We have plenty more, so please help yourself.

- [Rob] There's at least one thing you don't want to stay away from when you come to Blythewood, and that is the breakfast part of the bed and breakfast. That's another one of Dinah's duties around the place, and she really enjoys it.

- [Dinah] I've cooked all my life, it seems so, it seemed to be a natural fit. I grew up socializing too, entertaining. My husband and I loved to entertain too, so food was our life. So it makes sense that I'm in the kitchen and socializing with the guests.

- [Rob] And guests let Dinah know what they like.

- [Dinah] Even though the website has pictures, the pictures just do not do justice to the house. And when they walk in the front door, it's a wow factor. And when they leave, that's often the comments. But they also comment about how comfortable the beds are and how comfortable they felt and how nice it was to get to know the staff and to the breakfast. I have some that have been here four or five times, and if I try to change the menu, they say, no, no, no. We want just what we had before.

- [Rob] Not just the same food, no, but the same traditions and hospitality, here at Blythewood Inn in Columbia.

- Nice place, and it was especially nice to have you for this edition of "Tennessee Crossroads." Now, until next time, don't forget about that PBS app that lets you watch "Crossroads" and all your other favorite shows anywhere, anytime. Oh, please check out our website from time to time, TennesseeCrossroads.org, you can follow us on that Facebook thing, of course, and join us next time. I'll see you then.

- [Announcer] "Tennessee Crossroads" is made possible in part, by-

- [Phil] I'm Tennessee Tech President, Phil Oldham. Here in Cookeville, Tennessee's college town, we are bold, fearless, confident, and kind. Tech prepares students for careers by making everyone's experience personal. We call that Living Wings Up. Learn more at tntech.edu.