Episode 3830

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

- [Narrator] 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.

- [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.

- [Narrator] 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.

- [Announcer] 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, we find coffee that'll make you jump for java. We'll take a hike with furry friends, pay tribute to veterans in Wilson County, and see how to turn fruit into art. Oh the things we'll learn on this week's "Tennessee Crossroads." I'm Laura Faber. Thanks for joining us. For some, coffee might be the most important meal of the day. And if you find it at the perfect spot that offers comfort and all things familiar, well, customers become regulars, and often, friends become family. Get ready for a cup of good coffee at The Good Cup. Who wanted this brownie muffin? All right, you should be all set.

- Thank you.

- Yeah, you're welcome. Now I guess we have to eat it.

- [Laura] In the grassland village of Williamson County, the coffee beans start brewing early at a place so beloved, its customers even wrote a song about it. ♪ Well I was sitting here at The Good Cup ♪ ♪ I come in here to drink it up with all of my friends ♪

- [Laura] That's an original by Rick Duvall and Steven Dudash.

- Good morning. Hey, I'm glad you're here.

- Oh, good to see you.

- Some people have said this place is like the sitcom "Cheers" where everybody knows your name. And I would say that is very true. I want people when they come in here to feel that they are known, that they are valued, and that we care. You wanna do the chocolate chip espresso muffin?

- [Laura] Owner Amanda Taylor has owned The Good Cup since 2009. Before that, she was an employee who didn't even like coffee but had a dream of one day owning her own coffee shop.

- When I walked in the doors, I remember there being purple chairs, and I sat down in a chair, a cozy chair, and I thought, "This is it. This is the place, this is the place where I want to work, get my experience, and then hopefully one day have my own coffee shop."

- [Laura] The Good Cup was started by a woman named Ann Sale in 2003, and she taught Amanda everything she knew. Eventually turning the reins and the business over to her.

- [Amanda] I wanted to be a part of a place where I could work, live, and be surrounded by friends.

- [Laura] This location has been a part of this community for a long time. Formally a CY Market from 1966 to 1999.

- [Jerry] I used to sit right here and drink coffee right where I'm sitting.

- [Laura] Long time regulars like the unofficial mayor of Grassland, Jerry Rainey, kept coming after the CY became The Good Cup.

- [Jerry] The magic is all the people in Grassland, all the people that come through. Very welcoming, very glad to see you. Not uncommon for somebody to be sitting there with an open space and invite a stranger to join them, and they're not strangers anymore after that happens.

- [Laura] Cozy is an intentional vibe here.

- [Amanda] I'm kind of a thrifter, and so pretty much everything in here has been secondhand. I don't like to buy anything brand new except for equipment. And so I feel like every piece has a story to it. The mismatch and not having everything uniformed or perfect makes you be able to kind of maybe relax a little bit and kind of feel at home. I have customers who will knit blankets and they'll just bring them in here and leave them on the couch.

- [Laura] The Good Cup helps support families in Africa and Asia and many local ministries. Customers come to visit, work, read, and yes, grab a good cup of coffee and food.

- Ice maple latte.

- [Amanda] Our coffee beans are locally roasted, so we use Bongo Java because I'm able to have a relationship with them. The reason I like Bongo Java is their beans are organic and they're fair trade. Not many roasters have that, and they've been in business for 30, 35 years.

- [Laura] The muffins and scones are made here daily, bagels and fresh breads come from a local bakery.

- We've been making some recipes for about 21 years, and one of the favorites is our chicken salad. And so we made some today, we make it just about every day because it's so popular and it's very-time consuming. And so we zest some oranges and squeeze the juice over it. These are nice and juicy today, and we just need the seasonings. Start with your hand because then you can even out all the seasoning so it's not just all in one bite.

- The BLT is pretty famous too. The ambrosia salad side is just like your grandma used to make. And here's an insider's tip. The Good Cup has a secret coffee drink. This drink is called the Holly. You won't find this on the menu. Only regulars know about this. It's named after the late Bill Holly, a longtime customer of The Good Cup.

- [Amanda] He used to come in here all the time years ago, and he would sit and he would write. He wrote a couple books here, and he was also an artist and had artwork up on our walls. And he had passed away and he had meant a lot to me just from being in here. And so his daughter and I decided to create a drink and we named it after him. The homemade vanilla syrup that we make actually get the vanilla bean paste from the spice store in downtown Franklin. And then we put some honey in there and some cinnamon and it's a latte.

- [Laura] Today, Amanda does love a good cup of black coffee, but she really loves that she's living her dream and supporting a community that is helping her do just that.

- [Amanda] It's so much better and more than what I thought it was gonna be because of the community and how they have supported not just me, but all the employees, the staff. It's also the staff that make this place special. This place is not just about getting a drink or something to eat, it's the people in here that make it what it is.

- "The Good Cup Song." Thank you.

- I can't think of many things more peaceful than a hike in the woods. You could make it even better with a gentle and sure-footed friend to lighten the load. Miranda Cohen travels to Greenville, Tennessee to prove that not all llamas who wander are lost.

- [Miranda] You've heard it said that all who wander are not lost. And that is certainly true of Sandy Sagrillo and the wandering llamas of Greenville, Tennessee. Sandy was born in Connecticut and lived most of her life in Miami, running a very successful limousine business. To relieve the stress of the job, she often vacationed in the beautiful hills of Tennessee. And that is how it all started.

- Well, I love to hike, but I actually took a llama trek on my own, and I was not even into it 30 minutes and I had already fallen in love with the llamas. I just, I'm an animal person. I thought they were so interesting and so sweet, and I just fell in love with them.

- [Miranda] So in 1999, she traded her limousine for a llamasine. and started her hiking business called The Wandering Llamas, offering her clients a guided stroll through the forest with these gentle, majestic lamas.

- They're sweet, they're kind, they're funny, they're interesting, they're very smart. They have excellent memories, and they're very easy to train. Okay, so everybody, in order to walk them properly, I like to have them held here and here. Just here and here, nice and loose. And they will just follow you and walk very easily. Well, you get your own llama to walk. You can walk them, you can pet them, you can take pictures with them. You can hug them, kiss them, feed them, give them snacks. They'll eat snacks right out of your mouth.

- [Miranda] These beautiful and gentle creatures will saunter along beside you, peaceful and surefooted on the winding Tennessee trail. And whether you follow them or they follow you, it doesn't really matter. They are tranquil and regal, and they inspire just as much awe as these beautiful vistas themselves.

- Llamas are so friendly, like they just, some of them will like cuddle up next to you. They just walk easily with you. And it was honestly amazing. It was beautiful out here.

- [Sandy] Well, I offer several different hikes. You can go on a two hour day hike. It's very flat, very easy. Anyone can do it. I have little children, I have older folks that do it. It's fun, it's beautiful, the trail is interesting. We have bridges to cross. The trees in the fall are spectacular. In spring, it's just all green and beautiful. And even in winter, I have another winter trail that I use, doesn't have any water crossing, so we don't have to get our feet wet. And it's just magnificent in the snow. I want people to de-stress and unwind and listen to the nature, listen to the creek, because I find it so relaxing, and it's healthy and you're getting exercise and you're getting out of your home and out of your office and people need it. They're not out in nature enough.

- When they are not wandering, they are nestled down here on Sagrillo's mountaintop home, grazing and frolicking with the pack. Sandy gets her very special llamas from all over the world. But as you can guess, when you get llamas together, well, you get other llamas. In fact, she is breeding, and she will have three more llamas later this year.

- [Sandy] I've got 18, and I've got one due any day, she's pregnant. I've got another one due in spring and another one due in summer. They're addicting. They're like potato chips. You can't just have one llama.

- [Miranda] And if you would like to spend even more time with the llamas, you can stay overnight at one of Sandy Sagrillo's two overnight accommodations here on her farm. A unique treehouse with a magnificent view, or an itty bitty kitty house, where you might just have a bunkmate. Either way, you are guaranteed an up close and personal experience with the llamas.

- They're fun, they're just friendly animals and they're soft, they're like a giant dog to me.

- [Miranda] And though you may not think of llamas as indigenous Tennessee creatures, it turns out they are making themselves quite at home. And we are certainly happy to have them.

- Tennessee is gorgeous, they're very surefooted, and they can take on any trail with absolutely no problem at all. They cross water, they cross creeks, they can climb over rocks, they can jump over logs, they can go uphill, downhill. I mean, they can do anything. They're made for this. They're made for Tennessee. And this is a way for the whole family to get together and enjoy a nice, quiet, peaceful, relaxing event. And they just fall in love with them. And everybody falls in love with them. We call it falling in llama love.

- Such beautiful animals. Thank you, Miranda. There are numerous military museums that pay tribute to defenders of American freedom. Joe Elmore found a great one a while back in Wilson County that pays tribute to its own local veterans, which makes for a very moving, very personalized experience.

- This eternal flame in Lebanon symbolizes the ongoing remembrance of Wilson County Veterans, those who served their country and all US armed forces, including some who made the ultimate sacrifice. The Military Museum is the result of hard work, donated by four architects and countless volunteers. Visitors can view a treasure of artifacts loaned or given by veterans from the area. All kinds of weapons from frontier days to the present, in addition to souvenirs once belonging to the other side. The wall displays take you through a timeline of sorts, including of course, the war between the states, World War I.

- And of course now when you get to World War II, we have a special connection because the headquarters for the maneuvers was here at Cumberland University from '42 to '44. And General Patton was actually here in Lebanon during that time period.

- [Joe] Archivist Linda Grandstaff was responsible for curating each and every artifact that came in.

- [Linda] For the last six years, it's kept me pretty busy recording all the items that come in and getting the information about them and cataloging them all and giving them all a number. And that's very important because if you just take things and lay them down, you have no idea where they come from.

- [Joe] Mannequins were specially ordered to represent real people dressed in their real uniforms.

- This uniform represents Kenny Ridge, one of our County Commissioners. And he served in the War of Iraq and he brought back several items.

- Who is this?

- That's Emma Tapley. She served in the military. She's from here. She now lives in Texas. But her family and all are still here. But she's recently moved to Texas. The majority of our mannequins stand for real people that are from our county or connected to our county through a relative. And we're very proud of that. And as I prepared them for display, it's almost like I got to know them personally, dealing with their clothes and their history. That to me was very important, and it was very touching to be able to have that connection.

- The timeline continues with the Korean War, the war in Vietnam, and finally, the Gulf Wars. The centerpiece of the museum is this 1965 Huey helicopter. It flew over 1,800 hours carrying troops in and out of hot combat zones in Vietnam. It too has a true Wilson County connection.

- I always tell Mrs. Linda, the dummy looks a lot better than I ever looked in my life.

- [Joe] Former County Sheriff Terry Ash served in the 101st Airborne Division in 1967 and '68 at the height of the conflict. He has three purple hearts to show for it.

- I brought some old web gear I wore in Vietnam. I brought my Bible, which I carried. I've had a purple heart pinned on it for years. And these are photographs of me. This could be me in this very helicopter here. We don't know for sure. My old helmet.

- [Joe] When the helicopter was brought in from storage in Nashville for display, Terry made a startling discovery. It's very likely he rode in it on a combat mission and during heavy enemy fire.

- It's very strange to see it here sometimes, but you just wonder, is that the same one? But there are certain holes in the floor of this thing that lead me to believe it is the same one.

- Bullet holes?

- Bullet holes, yeah. They're marked by the red tags on the floor there.

- [Joe] The famous quote, "War is hell," is attributed to Civil War General William Sherman. Many of the veterans honored here went through hell to preserve the peace they cherished back home. This museum is dedicated to all those who served in any capacity.

- Everybody can't be in combat, but those who are back home, the families, and the other soldiers who are serving in all the branches, they make it able for you to be successful in your mission when you're deployed. So this is in honor of all the people.

- There's nothing like biting into an ice cold watermelon on a hot day. As a matter of fact, fruit of any kind can be a real taste treat. Ed Jones found an artist from Jackson who turns fruit into a treat for the eyes.

- Fruit is so beautiful by itself, but especially if you can take advantage of the layers. And the story goes that Michelangelo, they asked him, "How'd you do that angel in that piece of marble?" Of course he didn't say it with a southern accent, you know? So it's Michelangelo's. "Oh no, the angel is already inside. All I did was liberate it."

- [Ed] Carl Jones has been liberating beautiful works of art hidden in fruit for more than a decade. But when he started this journey, Carl was the one in need of liberation, from a lifestyle that was slowly killing him.

- I was in the restaurant business for 30 years. Back about 12 years ago, I was having trouble with my blood pressure and with my heart actually. And went to a cardiologist. He said, "You're pretty stressed out." I said, "Yeah, tell me about it." He said, "Well you need to slow down." I'm like, "How do I slow down?" He said, "Well get a hobby." I went back to my office that night, and in a packet was a knife, little carving knife that I had bought maybe two years earlier at a catering conference I was at and saw someone carving. So I thought that, well, that's kinda like an answer. So I went and got a little small melon and brought it to my desk, pulled out the knife out of the packet, and started trying to carve a flower into it. Well it fell in. So I learned my first technique, and that's to put my finger right here to gauge the depth. So my first mistake led to my first technique.

- [Ed] There would be many more mistakes, but as Carl's skill began to improve, so did his health.

- [Carl] My blood pressure has greatly improved and the stress is virtually gone. That's the mindfulness of this art, and mindfulness is what leads to stress reduction and relaxation.

- You do beautiful work.

- Thank you.

- That is just gorgeous.

- Thank you. I think part of it is is while you're carving, you have all these people walking up to you telling you how great you are.

- Well these are lovely and your reputation preceded you. And I can see why.

- Thank you. You know, I can do birds, I can do pretty much anything. And I do freehand. So it just means that I just start carving and see what comes out. I do a lot of flowers. That's how you get good at doing flowers is doing a lot of them. And that's the most requested is for roses. Or somebody will look at a picture and say, "Oh, make me that."

- Why did you choose watermelon carving? So you can eat.

- [Carl] Can't do that with plywood.

- That's a good enough reason.

- I ain't no termite.

- [Onlooker] How long have you been carving fruit? Or do you carve other things?

- Carve fruit, this is a squash, which is, what, is that a vegetable or a fruit?

- I'm not sure.

- Huh?

- It might be a fruit because it has seeds inside.

- Because it has seeds inside, I know. But then strawberry, is that a fruit? Because it has seeds on the outside.

- Feel like we're really going off track here.

- But they have seeds on the outside.

- Do you carve strawberries?

- Sure. Head out, chin down.

- Start with your feet like this because it distributes.

- [Ed] One of the first things you notice about Carl is, well he's pretty charismatic.

- There you go, Carl, that's it.

- [Ed] Especially for a guy who spends most of his time with produce. He'd be the first to tell you that that's just one of the many fruits of his labor of love.

- There's also something about this that has led me to be a kinder person. Not that I was mean or anything in the past, but I tended to be a lot more impatient with people. This gives patience, if you do this, you become patient. I found also over the years, having a lot of time to think, I became a lot more philosophical because the idea is while I'm carving, I'm thinking about my healing. I have in my head that I'm relaxed. My blood pressure is down, I'm healthy, I'm happy. You don't know all the benefits that you're getting when you're doing multidimensional art. There are a lot of benefits that come out of it.

- [Ed] This modern day Maharishi of melons has woven the benefits of fruit carving into every aspect of his life.

- You get a lot of these scraps, and some of them I eat, but I can't eat them all. But that little worm farm, the worms eat the scraps. Scraps turn into compost, take the compost, put those around my herbs and my vegetables. Then I consume the vegetables and the herbs. The whole circle of life, the sustainability, the cycle that everybody's looking for. If I'd heard somebody say this a few years ago, I'd say, "That guy's weird, what's he smoking?" But after a while you find that, oh, there's truth to that.

- [Ed] Through Carl's search for that truth, he has discovered a new lease on life and a skill for finding hidden treasure, whether it's artwork in a piece of fruit or peace within himself.

- Well, folks, that's all the time we have for this week. But remember to check us out anytime on tennesseecrossroads.org or on the PBS app. Take care. We'll see you next time.

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

- [Narrator] 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.

- [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.

- [Narrator] 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.

- [Announcer] 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.