Episode 3825

- [Commentator 1] "Tennessee Crossroads" is brought to you in part by...

- [Commentator 2] 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. 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.

- [Commentator 3] 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.

- [Commentator 4] 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, find out why it's not easy being cheesy. We'll visit a restaurant run by ranchers. We will find a room with a beautiful view in Gatlinburg, and meet an artist with talent by the basket bowl. Thanks for joining us everyone. I'm Miranda Cohen. Welcome to "Tennessee Crossroads". Now, you may not think of cheese making as an art form, but that's exactly how Morgan Flowers describes it. Tammi Arender takes us to Giles County where the Flowers Creamery is all about getting the very highest quality milk for making their delicious cheese.

- I joke that I didn't grow up on a farm, but I got here as fast as I could.

- [Tammi] Morgan Flowers is a city girl with a law degree, so what is she doing at Flowers Creamery and Dairy Farm in Giles County, Tennessee?

- I grew up in town, I didn't know much about it, and I met my husband and started farming with him and fell in love with it and wanted to add this value added part of the business to increase farm income and to make the farm profitable and to feed our local community with what we've worked so hard to produce.

- [Tammi] Since Morgan grew up in Franklin and had no connection to a dairy farm, she let love guide her, a love for her husband Brian, a love of animals, and a love for cheese.

- Brian also wanted to do cheese. He had worked on it for a long time, but one of the things is there's no lactose in cheese or very small amounts, and so if you have trouble processing that, it's easier dairy to start out with. And then two, it's storable. So it was easy for us to build up cheese that we had made and store that, and so we got into the market. So it was a little bit less risky than milk. We just also really like cheese.

- [Tammi] And that cheese is made from their Jersey cows milk. They have 100 Holsteins and 50 Jerseys. And Morgan says, you may not realize that the milk from those two breeds are different.

- [Morgan] There is a lot of difference. So a Holstein is a large cow. They produce a high volume of milk, which is great if you're selling that at a commodity price. But the Jerseys produce higher butter fat content. So that is a good, good fat for products like cheese or butter or ice cream, things that use the fat to make the product. It's very healthy fat. It's worth a whole lot more money on a milk check, but it also makes our product really creamy and really good.

- [Tammi] So that creamy Jersey milk is captured and blended with microorganisms such as bacteria, yeast, and mold. They thrive on the milk sugars and proteins. And today it's being turned into cheddar. The Flower's actually produce eight different types of cheeses, and they all start with the same process.

- The cheddar is a very dry cheese. So a lot of the cheeses start out very similarly. Mostly have the same ingredients except the annatto, which is the coloring. It's an all natural coloring that we use for yellow cheeses, but most use the same products in terms of the starter culture. But at the end of the process is really when the cheeses take form.

- [Tammi] Flower says it was quite the learning curve when she and Brian decided this was the value added product they wanted to focus on. She says it's part science and part art.

- For cheddar, we wanna do the traditional cheddaring process, which leashes out a lot of the whey that's still in the curd. We make mats, we flip those, make sure that we get as much whey out as possible. And then what we're left with are these big mats of cheese curd. And so we mill those and make little finger curds like that you would buy to fry or to eat.

- Once the whey is discarded, which they actually use to boost their feed for their cows, you're left with blocks of cheese. Well, you're left with cheese and then human hands manipulate and flip into these blocks. The Flower's like turning these into finger curds. Then the curds are packaged and ready for sale. So it takes about eight hours to make 1,000 pounds of those cheese curds. And of course, here's my favorite part, right? We're gonna get to taste test it. Oh my goodness, she's right. That is so creamy. And I'm gonna go home and fry the rest of these.

- [Morgan] It's extremely gratifying to see a product that I made on a grocery store shelf and to know that my neighbor comes to my store to buy it. So that's just adding nutrition that may not be available in certain parts of rural Tennessee due to, you know, food deserts or what have you. So we have a little store here that we sell our products and we sell other products as well. And we like to do that in conjunction with our Amish community. So typically they have produce available, but not perishables. And so we sell perishables in our store so people can do a whole tour of Etheridge and get all kinds of groceries that are grown here locally.

- [Tammi] While the Flower's run what's considered a small operation by most dairy farm standards, she says they can have a big impact on their community here in Etheridge and in the surrounding area.

- [Morgan] Community is everything to us in rural America and rural Tennessee, definitely. Your community is your family and your friends and your church and everyone you know. And we really like find together and do a lot of things together and really contribute and help each other out. And so it's really important to contribute something meaningful to that. And so the milk market is kind of interesting in that when you sell commodity milk into the market, it goes all over the US and you don't really know where it's going some of the time, or it changes where it goes and ends up being a brand that may go to a different part of the country from where it's even processed. And so it's really neat to know that we grow the feed in this soil. We milk the cows here, people know us, they know the quality of our products, and they come here to purchase from us and we provide them with nutrition.

- [Tammi] They sell their cheese and milk too here at their on-farm store, but they also sell at farmer's markets and online, in hopes that others will notice a difference on their dinner tables.

- I hope that it elevates the flavor profile of their food a little bit, just because it's not mass produced and it is real cheese and it's all natural. So everything we do is the highest quality of inputs. So anything that we add to the cheese is just really, really special. We've picked it out specifically for our cheese flavor profile. So I just really hope that it makes them understand that, you know, processed cheese singles are not the end all be all for cheese. You know, that it's worth investing in something that may taste a little bit different, maybe a little higher end, and that way it makes their food that they cook at home taste better to them as well.

- Thanks, Tammi. Next we head to Pulaski to discover how a couple can run a ranch and a restaurant at the same time. That's a little tricky considering neither one of them had any restaurant experience. As Joe Elmore finds out, their persistence and passion for cooking has paid off in a place called the Hickory House.

- The Giles County Courthouse has got to be one of the most attractive we've seen around the state, but we didn't come to Pulaski to study history. We came to visit another landmark, famous for barbecue and fine home cooking. The Hickory House has been a local mainstay since the 1960s. First owned by the late Butch White, then in 2013, JP and Jackie Perry took over the reigns. At the time, JP was busy managing the couple's deer valley farm, now home to about 2000 black Angus cattle. Jackie was happily working as a full-time paralegal and a little reluctant to change careers.

- The restaurant was my idea, my passion. She was a paralegal for 30 years. She told me when I came up with the idea that I would do it with my next wife, not with her. That absolutely was she not gonna quit her career as a paralegal and run a restaurant every day. And a year or two went by and the opportunity came about to buy this building and it was her idea. And you know, we got in the restaurant business. We were a little naive, had never owned a restaurant, never worked in a restaurant, but thought how hard can it be? You know, we cooked for people at home all the time. We cook for crowds and entertain a lot. Oh, it can't be that hard. Lemme tell you, it was baptism by fire. It was quite a learning curve.

- [Joe] Well, the Perry's quickly navigated that curve and now preside over a popular gathering spot for fine southern cooking and one of JP's specialties barbecue.

- [JP] My passion for meat and smoking meat has, is something that I've had all my life and you know, we love to smoke certified Angus beef briskets, we love to smoke ribs, chickens, pork sausage, beef sausage, you name it. And we kind of built the entire premise around great barbecue. And we wanted to put great steaks on our menus.

- [Joe] Of course, it doesn't hurt to have a source of those steaks just down the road at the ranch. And while steaks are a big hit with weekend diners, Hickory House is also a lunchtime destination. You can order from their extensive regular menu or choose one of the daily meat and three specials.

- [JP] The things that your mother or your grandmother would cook for you on Sunday dinner, we do every day. All our sides, all our vegetables are homemade in-house, made from scratch. Whether it's mashed potatoes, whether it's green beans, collard greens, dressing. You know, we've got a crew in the back that love to cook.

- I have a great team. We all work together. It's fun. I think I had this vision of what the restaurant life would be like, but it's, I enjoy it. It's fun. We make it fun.

- [Joe] Some employees have been on board since day one. Well, like Veteran Cook, Sharon Kemp.

- We are like a family here. Yep, and I'm not just, you know, saying that just because they my boss, but we are like a family here and JP and Jackie, you can't ask for two better people.

- [Joe] And you can't ask for a better dessert than one of Sharon's creations like blueberry cobbler. When I talked to JP, he referred to you as the boss.

- Well, I'm here every day. I come in every day, get it, keep it going, keep it rolling.

- The Southern pride smoker's probably one of the best investments we've made when we opened this building. We didn't think we'd ever utilize one this big. And we actually had our third one delivered yesterday. So we just keep growing. You know, I think barbecue is very easy if you look at it in this respect. Always start with a high quality piece of meat and don't mess it up, you know?

- [Joe] And while the main mission is always turning out consistently delicious dishes, it helps that the owners also love to interact with their customers.

- [JP] Jackie and I are both very social. We really love people. We love entertaining. We love being around people. We have a very, very good relationship with our customer base and are blessed with the people that come through the door.

- [Joe] No doubt Jackie and JP have been blessed with the success of Hickory House, a fantasy of sorts that turned into a full-time reality. And now years after making that leap of faith, their warm passion for cooking and pleasing guests has never cooled off.

- [JP] You wish you could go back to day one and say, "I wish I'd have known a few more things and maybe done some things differently." But, you know, we've been so blessed to come to those hurdles, make it through those hurdles, and go forward and still be viable as a business. So we're still married after 10 years. We're still in business after 10 years. So I'd say that's pretty good success. And we're happily married.

- Now Gatlinburg is popular for many reasons. Some love the hustle and bustle and so many things to see and do. But Laura Faber found a quieter part of town that boasts one of the prettiest bed and breakfasts we have ever seen, and it is called the Mountain View Inn.

- [Laura] Every year, the great Smoky Mountains call millions of travelers to come experience their beauty. We found a perfect place to take it all in. It's in Gatlinburg, but away from the crowds and busy downtown. This inn covers you in comfort, a warm personal touch, great food, an incredible view, and it's dog friendly too.

- You're such a good boy. Look at those eyes.

- We had bought this land that had such a gorgeous view. We did think, will people come this far out because at that time, we were really kind of isolated. Now we're, you know, not so much, but we took a chance on it.

- [Laura] That was 30 years ago. Since then, Hippensteel's Mountain View Inn has become the go-to place to stay for people from all over the country. Vern and Lisa Hippensteel are the proprietors.

- [Lisa] I think their lives are so hectic that it's just a respite. They come, they relax, they, sometimes they just don't even leave.

- [Vern] That and the view. We'll get up at breakfast, fixing breakfast and we get up early and you'll walk out on the porches and people will be sitting on their porches just watching the sunrise.

- [Lisa] It's just a home away from home.

- [Laura] While Vern and Lisa love sharing their passion for the Smoky Mountains with their guests, it's their own love story that is wonderful too. Lisa actually grew up in a hotel, which is where they met. It was the original Mountain View Inn that used to be located in downtown Gatlinburg.

- It started out as just this little tiny place and then of course, it grew through the years, but it was the first hotel built in Gatlinburg and I grew up there. My father managed the hotel for almost 40 years and it was home to me.

- I lived in Atlanta for five years, hated every day of it. And when I came to watch a friend graduate from high school that was two classes behind me, and I watched 'em graduate and found a job with her dad, interviewed with her dad, found me a job and a place to live, and I came back home. My family was still living in Atlanta, but I came back home and have never left since. Stayed friends forever. And, but we didn't start seeing each other till she was 26.

- [Lisa] Yeah, I was already out of college.

- Well, the biggest thing between the two of us, we both loved to hike. And so I would go to Le Conte and Lisa would call, I'd call her and say, "I'm hiking to Le Conte today, would you like to go with me?" And she would.

- [Lisa] So by the time we decided to get married, we wanted to be married on Mount Le Conte. And so we hiked up the day before with a minister and 20 of our closest friends, and got married at sunrise and-

- [Vern] Eight degrees.

- [Lisa] In November, and then came down that night and repeated our vows in the church with all of our other friends, and that was almost 40 years ago.

- [Laura] Vern is a working artist. His watercolor painting showing the splendor of the Smokies have been collected in this area for decades.

- [Vern] This is the green that you actually see in nature.

- After a career as a dental hygienist, Lisa finally convinced Vern to combine his art and her love of providing people with a place to stay. Vern designed the current Mountain View Inn around the original hotel.

- The original hotel was designed by Hubert Bebb, who was a student of Frank Lloyd Wright's. And when we found out the hotel was gonna be torn down, I wanted to use the same lines of the original hotel.

- This is one of 12 rooms that you can choose from here at the inn, no two are alike. They're all decorated in a unique way. They do have two things in common, though. Vern's artwork is all over the walls. And they all share this incredible view. From the rocking chairs on every porch, you can see the Green Briar Pinnacle to your left, and Mount Le Conte straight ahead, and Mount Harrison to your right for sunrise and sunset. Every bedroom has a wall of windows, king-sized bed, TV and a fireplace, and an oversized whirlpool tub in a private bath. They're decorated based on a theme and one of Vern's paintings with names like "Into the Woods", "Spring Beauties", and "Lady of the Mountains".

- We want you to feel at home. You can roam around the house anytime of the day or night. Enjoy. If you need something and somebody's not available, you just find it.

- [Laura] The library is full of games and books to borrow. The gathering area downstairs is homey, filled with antiques and gorgeous stained glass lamps. The elegant black and white checkered foyer and dining room are filled with light from the mini windows and of course, a mountain view.

- Put some more milk in there.

- [Laura] Vern and Lisa Hippensteel don't have an exit plan. This is their home and everyone is welcome.

- [Lisa] We feel so blessed because most people don't get to do what they love to do and enjoy, and we've done it now for 30 years and it just keeps getting sweeter and sweeter.

- Thanks, Laura. Beautiful place. The art of basket weaving goes back thousands of years. Now sadly, there aren't many weavers left. And few, if any, can claim the expertise of Sue Williams. Cindy Carter visited the Warren County artist recently and found out why she has a basket full of awards.

- [Cindy] Sue Williams sets out from her country home and heads deep into the woods of Tennessee, where the white oaks grow tall and true.

- We have a lot of varieties of oak, but white oak is the only one.

- [Cindy] The only one indeed, when you're an award-winning white oak basket maker and artist.

- But baskets, it's my thing.

- [Cindy] For decades, Sue's strong hands and nimble fingers have weaved together hundreds of beautiful and intricate white oak baskets. She's an expert.

- And the growth rings go this way.

- [Cindy] She's an artist. She's the keeper of a folk tradition rooted in nearby Cannon County, part of a history that grew out of necessity.

- And most of my baskets are considered egg baskets and a egg basket people used during the depression and afterwards when there was no work away from home and they took the basket to the in-house to gather the eggs.

- [Cindy] Sue also makes the larger market baskets, which families once used to carry garden vegetables to and from the local market.

- [Sue] And I think you'll see that in most of my baskets. Some of the hardwood is darker than others.

- [Cindy] During the depression, Cannon County folks realized that they could also make these baskets to sell or trade for goods. The white oak was a way forward.

- [Sue] They could break it down and pull it by growth rings and then they could use it. They could bottom chairs, they could make baskets. So Cannon County was seller known baskets, chairs, and whiskey. And then they would take that out of the county to sell.

- [Cindy] As time passed, the now famous Cannon County white oak baskets transitioned from function to art, and Sue's artwork is considered among the elite. She whittles and weaves her white oak baskets with extra care.

- [Sue] After everything is broke down and all supplies are ready, you scrape the weavers, you whittle for the ribs, you have to form the handle and the rim.

- To Miss. Sue, this is a really intricate process. How long does it take to make these baskets?

- This one is my Gertie soup basket. It takes week and a half to two weeks. This is my egg basket. I can make it in a week.

- [Cindy] And how about Big Bertha?

- Big Bertha, I spent six to six and a half years.

- [Cindy] Sue dedicates so much time and effort to her craft that she admits, when customers come around, it can be hard letting go.

- I had a lady that came from Seattle, Washington. She went to the art center in Cannon County and she looked around and I had one basket down there. Well, they called and asked could she come to my house? I said, "Sure, send her." She came in and she said, "I want that, that, that, and that." And I said, "Wait a minute."

- So how can you tell if your basket is Cannon County? Well, Miss. Sue says, every basket making region and community has a unique signature tie. This is how you can tell it's Cannon County.

- [Sue] I always do the Cannon County tie. And that's like a X with a loop over the top.

- [Cindy] And when Sue isn't piecing together the perfect Cannon County white oak basket, she's sharing her years of experience with others.

- I enjoy doing it, but I also enjoy teaching it. It's wonderful to meet all the people that are interested.

- [Cindy] It's also wonderful, Sue says, to know that she's teaching a new generation a powerful art form that should be preserved.

- [Sue] I want to pass on the tradition.

- [Cindy] Sue's baskets carry that tradition of folklore art fashioned from a Tennessee white oak.

- Thanks, Cindy. Well that brings us to the close of another show, but you can check us out anytime on our website or our Facebook page and get more information. Until next time, you take care. Thanks for watching.

- [Commentator 1] "Tennessee Crossroads" is brought to you in part by...

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

- [Commentator 3] 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.

- [Commentator 4] 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.