Episode 3736

- [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.

- [Announcer] 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're taking our taste buds to Central Asia, thanks to an award-winning Nashville restaurant. Then take in some old time Southern hospitality in Rutherford County. We'll discover the special mission of the Hart Gallery in Chattanooga. And finally wind up at the Short Mountain Distillery in Woodbury. That's the lineup for this edition of Tennessee Crossroads. Sure glad to have you. We've been to quite a few locally owned restaurants around the state, and we've tried our share of things like barbecue, catfish, and fried chicken. Well, our destination this time though, is an award-winning restaurant whose inspiration and ingredients come from the faraway country of Uzbekistan. You'll find OSH Restaurant and Grill in a little shopping center off Thompson Lane. Once inside, you'll be transported to an exotic world of Uzbek cuisine, full of delicious flavors from the heart of Central Asia. Before unleashing our appetites, though, a little history's in order. Uzbekistan is a landlocked country in central Asia with about 36 million people. It sits along the Silk Road and ancient trading route, making Asian, Middle Eastern and European cultures. It was part of the former Soviet Union until gaining independence in 1991. OSH was opened in 2020 by brothers Sean and Shane Shamansurov. Both came to Nashville 20 years earlier to study at MTSU. But it should be no surprise that the restaurant business would come calling. They were well equipped for the challenge.

- We love cooking, and also having, you know, me having five kids and my brother having six kids, we always have something cooking at home at all times.

- [Narrator] They're also following a family tradition started by their father, who imported this special oven for cooking the signature dish of the house, OSH. It all starts with a liquid base, filled with yellow and orange, carrots, onions, garlic, and other ingredients.

- We put chickpeas. We have cumin that's also imported. We import yellow carrots. So basically in OSH, we put both red and yellow, mostly yellow, and we don't find yellow carrots in the stores here in Tennessee.

- [Narrator] Next comes the rice, which is also imported from Uzbekistan. Now the whole mixture will simmer until most of the juices have been absorbed. Finally, there's the lamb, a generous portion topping off this renowned dish. And finally, a hard boiled quail egg.

- Ready to go.

- [Narrator] Another menu, specialty is the lamb manti, steam seasoned dumplings filled with meat, onions, spices served with yogurt, which by the way is made in house.

- We buy whole milk. We boil the milk and we make the yogurt here. My mom makes it.

- Well, it looks like a pretty good way to start our adventure in Uzbek cuisine. Got some fresh homemade bread here, a lamb salsa and a little sampler platter here to get us going and well, they all should be coming out anytime now. Oh, thank you there, Sean.

- With quail eggs, salad, and a homemade yogurt.

- Wow.

- There are a lot of food back home. We couldn't, you know, we can't fit all the food on the menu. We just, we just cherry picked what's most popular, what we think people would like the most. So we put it on the menu. So far everything's been selling, everything's been popular and everybody's been loving it.

- So much that Yelp named OSH one of the top 10 restaurants in the entire USA.

- When I heard the news, Yelp called me, they said, Hey, you're number nine. I said, that's great. I said, you know, it's within the city? No, it's within the country. But that's when we got real surprised.

- Thank you so much.

- Each dish is different, but it's, it's so good. You just can't have enough. Every time I come in, I have some of the appetizers, some of the main course. and I have to have the dessert after.

- Oh, this is the lamb chops. Lamb chops, and they are the best. I can't eat lamb chops anywhere but here, he has spoiled me. These are, I mean, these are incredible.

- There's a plethora of fine restaurants in Nashville, many offering authentic, ethnic dishes. A visit to OSH though is an adventure in superb home cooking. Even if the home is thousands of miles away.

- We've been blessed to be here in Middle Tennessee, just living here, going to school, having business and having great customers and who really appreciate our food and home cooking. Is there anything that I can get for you?

- Good. Thank you.

- Awesome. Enjoy your meal.

- Have you ever taken a vacation and felt like you were right at home? Well, in our next story, Miranda Cohen takes us to a quaint Rutherford County Inn, where you might feel like you've sort of traveled back in time.

- [Miranda] For Victoria and Daryl Patrick, working together in the kitchen is something that comes very natural. They met years ago, both working for a major hotel chain, now married for more than two decades. They blend together as perfectly as these potatoes and onions.

- Who would've ever thought, huh, 20 years ago, that we would be doing this together in our own little place?

- It was fun for both of us. I think. I really enjoyed the bed and breakfast side and he really wanted the banquet space.

- [Miranda] The couple wanted to combine their talents and love of hosting people. That's when they found and purchased the beautiful Carriage Lane Inn in Murfreesboro back in 2013. When they first toured the property, the Patricks were living in Michigan. It was not only the picturesque home and grounds that captured their hearts, it was also the beautiful state of Tennessee itself.

- When we came to look at it, we left Michigan, it was like negative 15 degrees and it was the middle of an ice storm. And we got here to Tennessee and it was 60 degrees and sunny. And I was like, yep, we're moving.

- [Miranda] Now you will find Chef Darryl in the kitchen creating a unique and homegrown event menu, featuring locally sourced ingredients. Victoria is the friendly face who greets the guests and makes sure every detail is perfect. The Inn was built in 1899 and is located on the old carriage lane leading to the Oakland Mansion. Now it is a bed and breakfast and sought out event venue.

- I like to tell people that we're a bed and breakfast and this is a good introduction to staying in bed and breakfast because we live next door, so we don't live in the house. But you do get the historic charm, the historic feel of the house. It's kind of like a little boutique hotel where you have your own room and we have all private bathrooms, so people like that.

- It is important to the Patricks to keep the decor and furnishings turn of the century in every room except the bathrooms. And these well adorned privies are state of the art.

- Yeah, it's a fine line-

- Very fine line.

- Trying to keep it, you know, looking historic yet having all the modern amenities.

- Right. We have three king rooms and those are by far our most popular rooms. They all feature jacuzzi tubs and gas fireplaces, and they are named after the sections of the state. So we have the Middle Tennessee and the East Tennessee, and those are kind of like our bridal, fancy rooms. And then we have the West Tennessee that's over there also. And it's two full beds and it's a quaint room for families.

- It's a pretty cool room because it's the only room in the entire property that has like one of the original claw foot tubs. And so that makes kind of, that's a uniqueness of that room.

- [Miranda] The Inn boasts three tranquil gardens and plenty of outdoor seating that can accommodate up to 150 guests at an event or wedding.

- It's very well shaded. It makes for beautiful weddings no matter what time of year because it's so beautifully shaded with magnolia trees.

- [Miranda] But perhaps one of the biggest attractions of the carriage Lane Inn is the town of Murfreesboro itself. It's located just three blocks off the town square.

- It's got that historic charm of of Murfreesboro and it is definitely a gem of Murfreesboro. It's a easy walk to get downtown and just enjoy some of what downtown Murfreesboro has to offer.

- In fact, the breakfast at this bed and breakfast is served up at Murfreesboro's famous City Cafe.

- It allows folks to go down there and enjoy the town and it also they're open daily from I think six to two. So it allows people to choose their own time that they want to go have breakfast and then they get a wide selection of what they can choose for breakfast.

- [Miranda] So whether it's a wedding, a corporate event, or just a chance to slow down and spend some time with your family and friends, the Carriage Lane Inn might just be the perfect place to get away while feeling right at home.

- It's a family-run business and we welcome our guests as if they're part of our family.

- Family.

- Well, it's a little bit more intimate and you know, some folks don't like the hotel experience. When you come here, it's almost like you're staying with family. It's kind of a cool experience that it is a family that is taking care of you and it's, you know, this is our lives. You know, we've put everything into it so we you to be happy and we want you to enjoy your experience.

- Thanks Miranda. Art is much more than something you hang on your wall. It has the power to heal and change lives. Well, next Laura Faber takes us to a gallery in Chattanooga that offers amazing art with heart.

- [Speaker] It is an eclectic mix of creativity that happens on a daily basis.

- They're working artists. They're, there are 74, I believe, artists right now who have art for sale

- [Laura] In downtown Chattanooga every Wednesday and Thursday, artists gather to work. Artists like George Monds.

- I'm a mixed media slash celebrity artist and I draw different art. I do pop culture art, I do scrap art, I do abstract art, all sorts, types of art, which are different patterns. Elvis, I've done Led Zeppelin, I did Rick Ross, Mel Gibson in "Braveheart" and Queen Elizabeth.

- George started coming here 11 years ago when he was homeless and had nowhere to go. The ability to create art inside the safe space saved him.

- It's helped me to ease my mind, occupy my time and inspiration. It helps me in all different areas of my life.

- He's here today planning his upcoming exhibit, getting a free meal, visiting friends he considers family and getting ready for payday. Have you sold any art from here?

- Yes, a lot.

- [Laura] The Hart Gallery is a gallery with a mission founded by Ellen Heavilon in 2009.

- It was to try to get people that don't have worth or feel like they don't have worth an opportunity to realize they do.

- This stone pillar was how it all started. This was Ellen's inspiration for the Hart Gallery, a piece of public art made by Chattanooga's homeless. Ellen couldn't get the pillar out of her mind. What if she provided art supplies and allowed people to dabble and create? Art had helped her after the death of her mother. And then again, after a bad breakup.

- I'm not an artist, but being able to create and let that darkness be filled with something of light, I think was the beginning of Hart Gallery. Art helped me. I wonder if it could help somebody else. And so the gallery was born

- The Hart Gallery started as a place for the homeless, but has grown. And its artists include domestic violence survivors, those with mental illness, veterans, people with disabilities, they are all working artists. The Director of the Hart Gallery, Courtney Chandler says she and her staff help them submit work for shows, create portfolios, and offer ongoing classes so they can build their skills.

- Beyond that, it's a family for a lot of our artists It's, you know, a space that they know questions can be asked and answers will be received. They might be connected to resources. There's a hot meal that happens, but also that their worth is on display. You know, I think when it's payday Friday, that's some of the, you know, most joy that we see is because individuals see that what they create is worth something.

- [Laura] What you see hanging on the walls of the gallery is just a sliver of the art that's available and for sale. They have an online catalog as well. Indeed, artists keep 60% of what they sell. 30% goes to the gallery's costs and 10% go to the artist's charity of choice.

- The money that's coming in through our art sales, it can change lives for a lot of our artists. Sometimes it's, you know, it means they pay the rent this month or it means there's a little extra for groceries.

- [Laura] The work is beautiful, the stories behind the work, even more so. Like the tactile paintings of Erica Birch, a survivor of physical abuse and mental illness. She was just accepted to show her work at a for-profit festival. Or this jewelry artist, a survivor of abuse.

- Isela is one of our jewelry artists who has taught classes to other women and who recently received a grant for $10,000 to write a children's book, which is just being published here in two different languages. "I Will Always Be Right Here", about her relationship with her dad.

- [Laura] The Miami Land Showcase is an exhibit for artist Bill Cera, and though he's been creating art on and off for 18 years, he struggles with trauma from past child abuse. The Hart Gallery gave him a chance to keep focused, evolve, and grow.

- It helps me to deal with my life's problems, process things, you know, both good and bad. This is me sh sharing my life and my fiance Susie. My childhood, memories, childhood dreams of my, of me being born and raised in Miami and.

- [Laura] Sometimes a second chance is enough to change a life, an opportunity to be seen. Chattanooga's Hart Gallery is doing just that and offering gorgeous artwork at the same time.

- The first time an artist sells something and that first paycheck, you know, regardless of the amount, it's the fact that someone felt that their work was good enough to take home to their own home, I think is a huge, huge thing.

- We can't save every person that's homeless. We can't make a difference in every homeless person's life. But what we can do is offer an opportunity through Art.

- Tennessee is well known for its distilleries. Well, a while back, Gretchen Bates went to one in Cannon County that may not be famous, but it has all the makings of a worthwhile day trip. ♪ Come and listen to the story ♪ ♪ About a man named Jed ♪ ♪ A poor mountaineer ♪

- [Gretchen] You're probably familiar with Jed's story, which is the opposite of our story. While the Clampetts found bubbling, crude, and went to Californy, Billy Kaufman left Beverly for the hills of Tennessee. And while what he found bubbled all right, it wasn't black gold, it was white lightning. But Billy's journey, which led to the creation of Short Mountain Distillery, originally had nothing to do with drinking corn, but growing it. As our tour guide explains.

- My name is Jeff. Hello. Welcome. Welcome to Little Short Mountain Farm ladies and gentlemen. When he got this place, it was all about, I just want to get away. Which he's actually from Beverly Hills, California. Can you believe that? And wanted to settle down. If I can, I'd like to try to establish an organic farm if he could. So he got this place and that was the aspiration.

- It took a few years, but I realized after a while that people weren't really making their money small farming. And what they were really doing was making money moonshining. They've been doing it here so long everyone is related to a moonshiner, whether they like it or not.

- Tell, tell 'em how you blew yourself up.

- Are you filming already?

- Meet Ronald Lawson and Ricky Estes, Billy's co-conspirator, business associates, two Cannon County natives with a vast knowledge of what Granny called tonic.

- You want to hear stories about moonshiners trying to outrun the law or anything like that, you should talk to Ricky and Ronald. Ricky has been caught, you know, a bunch of times probably.

- I love to make moonshine. I born in the whole, my whole family with moonshine.

- And Ronald has never been caught.

- It wasn't that I outsmarted them, it was just pure luck.

- Their personalities are very different, even though for decades they've been making the same exact recipe.

- [Gretchen] Who makes betters shine?

- I think I do. Ricky thinks he does. So I-

- That's the way it is. You know, you try to do the best with it. Ronald was the first person to introduce me to Tennessee moonshine,

- Good moonshine, to have that good, mellow-

- Yeah.

- Corn taste. And you feel that warm feeling-

- Come back up.

- If you drinking moonshine and quick as you drank it, it just burns you up, it's not good shine.

- It was just so foreign to me. And when I tried it, I really loved it. It became my favorite spirit.

- [Gretchen] For many years, Making that spirit might have resulted in a change of address. Hey, what about my phone call? Luckily for Billy and friends that changed a few years back.

- The Tennessee legislature deregulated hard liquor. Well, what do you think Billy thought when he heard that? Yee-haw, he was ready to do it then.

- Ready, willing, but unable to finance it on his own. So Billy followed the example of other moonshiners and made it a family tradition.

- When we knew that it was a possibility to have a distillery in Cannon County, I called my brothers and they both decided to help me finance the distillery. And my brothers and I thought it was a good idea to put our family value, the Golden Rule, on every bottle that we produce. So if you look at one of our bottles, you can see a coin on it. On the back are the three stars of Tennessee and the Golden Rule. And now we're making things that we made before prohibition, like Tennessee whiskey and rye whiskey and bourbon, and all that's starting to come out now 'cause we've just matured as a real distillery. There's no bells and whistles, it's just really good corn, organic cor if we can do it. Really good rye, really good malts and grind them fresh all here. Pure spring water.

- [Gretchen] Pure water that owes its quality to the distillery's namesake.

- Short Mountain is one of the last little outcrops of the Appalachias, and it's filled with limestone and little crevices and caves. And when it rains on Short Mountain, it gets filtered down through that limestone. And all around Short Mountain, there are these springs. And one of them actually used to be the spring where Cooper Melton made moonshine for Al Capone. And we used that spring to supply all of our water here at the distillery.

- After you've toured the distillery, it's just a short walk to the Stillhouse Cafe where you can grab a bite to eat and sample the spirits.

- We don't just want to be like a regular distillery tour. We try and give people a lot of hands-on experiences. And one of the things that we do is we have a cocktail class. And this cocktail class is all about having a good time and learning how to make classic cocktails with our spirits. This place is not very far away from Nashville, Knoxville, Chattanooga, but it's a different world. That's what it's all about. It's really about getting out of the hustle and the bustle and coming somewhere where there's not gonna be big crowds where you're gonna be able to walk through the woods and hear the birds and sit outside and watch the cows graze. We just encourage people to come out here and experience the place and enjoy themselves.

- Well, that's gonna be it for now. Thanks for joining us. Between now and next time, why don't you check out our website, Tennesseecrossroads.org, and while you're there, download that PBS app. Meanwhile, we'll see you next week.

- 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 [email protected].

- [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.