Episode 3922

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- This time on "Tennessee Crossroads," Cindy Carter checks out the local place. Miranda Cohen meets an artisan who gets a kick out of handcrafting boots. Laura Faber visits an old stable, making new spirits in Franklin. And Tammi Arender introduces us to a songwriting painter. Thanks for joining us again. I'm glad you're here. Welcome to "Tennessee Crossroads." In our first segment this week, Cindy Carter takes us to downtown Centerville. That's where she found coffee, ice cream, and so much more. You just have to see it to believe it.

- [Cindy] So there's a place, you know, the local place in Centerville where you can always get really good coffee.

- Something that's not too bitter, very smooth, and also has a little bit of a punch that gives you the energy you need.

- [Cindy] Owners, Chloe West and her mom, Concetta West, know coffee. They moved to Tennessee in 2021 from the coffee Mecca, Seattle. But when they arrived, let's just say the options were limited.

- There was nothing here. I mean, you could get McDonald's coffee, but that was about it. And we had had a coffee shop just outside of a university up in Washington years and years ago, and my daughters ran that and we were like, "Well, you know, this would be a good way for us to actually immerse ourselves into this community."

- Did you wanna try ice cream this morning?

- [Cindy] And that's how the local place found its place on Centerville's Town Square, taking over the beloved Breece's Cafe location, which closed after serving this town for 80 years.

- [Concetta] And we were looking for the right space. And this place just had such great bones and the community loved it. So we were, we felt pretty confident that if we put something in here, it would be successful.

- [Cindy] But first, Concetta and Chloe had to sell their idea to their curious new neighbors.

- "Are you open yet?" We're like, "No, we're still building it up." "What's it gonna be?" "It's gonna be a coffee shop." "Oh, we need a meet in three." And now, a lot of people are so thankful that we're here.

- [Cindy] The local place is so much more than coffee.

- One pan at a time. Slow but delicious.

- [Cindy] The cafe also serves breakfast, lunch, and lots of homemade ice cream.

- Our food menu, however, is innovative. Initially, we started out with waffle sandwiches and the beauty of the waffle sandwich was just the fact that we could do a gluten free waffle and it would be fresh and delicious. The breakfast menu is fresh baked pastries. So we bake all of our pastries in-house fresh every day, and we do muffin tops. We will have regular muffins. We do really large, delicious cookies.

- [Cindy] Those waffles, by the way, can be doctored up any way you like. And much of what's on the menu is sourced from Concetta's forevermore farm, making the local place a truly farm to table experience.

- [Concetta] All of our ingredients are fresh. We pickle our own cucumbers and we also pickle onions that go like on a Chipotle chicken sandwich. Coleslaw that is vinegar and mayonnaise based, if you can believe it. Our top lunch item, I would say is the Chicken Bacon Ranch or the Chipotle chicken sandwich. We do massive salads. We make all of our dressings from scratch.

- [Cindy] And can we just go back for a second to the homemade ice cream. From the peanut inspired Jimmy Carter to a cookie monster, the Wests take great care in creating fresh and seasonal flavors everyone can enjoy like the brown sugar bourbon Concetta whipped up during our visit.

- [Concetta] It starts with a salted caramel base, and then we add homemade whiskey that's from a whiskey that we get here made in Tennessee. I make a vanilla out of that. And then I use a bourbon flavor.

- [Cindy] And flavor is a priority for everything the Wests produce, as is community. A good cup of coffee brings joy, no doubt. But the local place also wanted to give people something to do in a small town. So up the stairs, folks also connect creatively in the shop's ceramics studio.

- [Concetta] There's nothing for kids, there's nothing for families really to do in the community. And so the solution for us was we enjoy doing ceramics together as a family. How about we put together a studio? We had the space

- [Cindy] And it's friends, families, and even couples paint their masterpieces. They can take breaks whenever they want and feast on the delicious charcuterie boards made especially for this time spent together.

- [Concetta] And it's already been gangbusters. People love to come in, sit down, paint ceramics, and have fun with each other

- [Cindy] In Centerville, this is where a community and coffee blend together. And to think what started as a coffee craving led these specific Northwesterners to find their place and their people.

- [Concetta] The thing is, is that everybody in the community, young and old, they need to fit in. They need to find their place, and we wanna be that place.

- Thanks, Cindy. Definitely worth the drive. Well, some are made for walking, some are made for working, and some are made for scooting across the dance floor. No matter what you plan to do in them, more and more people want to have a great pair of cowboy boots. Well, then our next story, Miranda Cohen introduces us to a man who will design the perfect pair just for you.

- [Miranda] One of Dustin Bowen's first memories involves cowboy boots, his father's to be exact.

- I fell in love with him the first time I saw him put them on, he kept them in the closet, he kept them cleaned. And every now and then, I would sneak back there and just ooh and awe over these cowboy boots. And I would put them on, stomp around in them a little bit, and then put them back right where I found them just so he knew that I wasn't messing with them.

- [Miranda] Today he does more than mess with them. He makes stunning one of a kind boots right here in Music City, a town famous for great songs and fancy footwear. And that is exactly how it all started.

- I kind of like to relate it to writing a song. I mean, we are in Nashville, right? So we sit down together and we're creating a piece of art together.

- [Miranda] The Camden Tennessee native came to Nashville as a drummer and working a little at a boot shop. And before long, he changed his tune.

- And so we were doing kind of the weekend warrior thing, and then I would come back and work my part-time job. But I started taking boots with me out on the road and I was kind of known as the drummer in cowboy boots. And I started selling some boots out of the back of the band van just to make some extra cash. The next thing I knew I was sketching boots in the van and again, selling them kind of here and there on the side. And then I just thought, "You know what? There might be something to this."

- [Miranda] So in 2020, Dustin Bowen started Bowen Boot Wear, a custom made, hand designed, full service boot studio. And his timing was perfect to capture the popular western wave.

- The confidence that the cowboy culture has, I think that everybody wants to have a little part of that. Whenever I put on a pair of cowboy boots, I have so much more confidence in myself, and I feel like that's what it is. Whenever you put on a good pair of boots, it really boosts your confidence. I like to say that it gives you that cowboy spirit. And so when everybody puts on a good pair of boots, they're standing a little taller. And if you say that you're not a boot wearer, you just haven't found the boot for you yet. But that's why I'm here to help you find that and guide you to find the exact boot for your style. Do you mind scooting towards me a little bit? Perfect. I'll sit down with you with my sketchbook and we will trace your feet. I'll take two tracings of each foot and then I'll take my tape measure and take about seven different measurements off of each foot.

- [Miranda] After Dustin has sized you up, that's when the real fun starts and lots of choices to be made. First, the silhouette, the vamp, the size of the heel, the zip, the pull strap, the type of toe, a stunning selection of colors, and finally, you will choose from an array of very different and very exotic materials that will be used to make your boots.

- [Dustin] We work with anything from cow hides to goat hides, to bison to moose. We also go into Cayman crocodile, ostrich, python. If you can think it up, again, and we can legally get our hands on it, we will work with it.

- [Miranda] And if you want to stand out, among your choices is this 14 carat gold-painted python.

- Isn't that beautiful?

- This is a really big snake. After you make your selections, Dustin will add on all the finishing touches all done by hand. Because to look authentic, your boots will need to look like they've been out riding the range even if you haven't.

- [Dustin] We also do custom finishes like a stone wash finish to beat it up. I do hand burnishing where you apply the natural oils of the hide along with heat, and then you massage them back into the hides as well to bring out more depth of the hide. I will do all of your, you know, your burnishings, rough them up, shine them up, anything that you want. And then from there, the boots are delivered to you.

- Everything that leaves this shop is 100% handmade with a raw leather foot bed that will conform to your foot with continued wear. And no surprise, these beautiful boots have been seen on some very famous feet, like longtime clients, Thomas Rhett, Post Malone, and many others.

- [Dustin] For me to see people wearing these pieces, whether it be just on the street, at their wedding, on stage, at the red carpet, I try not to take it for granted. I'm very, very grateful and the support has been absolutely amazing since we've started. Cowboy boots are here to stay. I feel like a lot of people are just now being introduced to it, but I tell people it's a slippery slope because once you get one pair, next thing you know, your entire closet is filled with them.

- Well, thanks, Miranda. I may have to get a pair of those myself. Well, next up, Laura Faber shows us why spirits are running high again in downtown Franklin. The first distillery inside city limits since prohibition is open. And as we found out, they aren't horsing around.

- We are in historic downtown Franklin. This is a building dating back in the 1800s. In 1890, John Blackburn renovated the building to be a livery stable. And it transitioned after that, many years after that to our local newspapers. Now, we are a distillery with a bar built around the stables.

- [Laura] Beth Goodwin is one of the owners of the Stable Reserve located on the iconic Main Street in Franklin.

- [Beth] We wanted to be coffee to cocktails all day, but we wanted it local and something you could only do in Franklin. So we started on a hunt for what the local spirits would look like, what the local coffee would look like.

- [Laura] The coffee is roasted locally by Narrow Gate Coffee, which is mission based.

- [Beth] They train guys coming out of hard situations or just looking for a reboot on life and they might time out of orphan care. And there are men that train them in coffee roasting, leather, woodworking, auto repair. And so we just really liked what they were doing in our community and wanted to partner with them.

- [Laura] The spirits are made down the road at Stable Reserve's warehouse, vodka, gin, and whiskey

- From this end, and then out through the line on.

- [Laura] Hunter Yeager owns Stable Reserve alongside Beth.

- We're Stable Reserves warehouse, which houses our still. The still here is a 200 gallon hot still with a column on it. It's got a four plate column. Today we're running Jen, so we're distilling Jen. We're using our non GMO vodka base.

- [Laura] The profiles of these spirits are distinct. The vodka distilled 10 times in charcoal filtered. The gin features 14 botanicals and a citrus forward rather than juniper and finishes with white pepper.

- So we've got three of the botanicals that we're showcasing. We've got Chamomile, which I mean you can smell it. It has just a super fresh, awesome. It's all organic. We've got the orris root. The orris root turns out to be the root of the state flower, the iris.

- Oh yeah.

- Here in Tennessee.

- Yeah, I read that. That's cool.

- Yeah. So we incorporated that one. And then of course, it's Juniper, which juniper's gonna be the leading in any gin, which makes it a gin.

- So you've got glasses here, so what does that mean?

- Yeah, whoever's brave can taste, but I probably-

- I think I have to smell it.

- I mean, yes. Yeah, I would definitely recommend smelling it so you'll pick up definitely a hint of the gin. And it's gonna be hot. Again, it's 160 proof. You're gonna detect the high alcohol in this.

- Should I do it?

- How brave are you?

- I mean-

- It's gonna have a kick.

- Whoo! Okay.

- It's a little bit much. Maybe you won't wait until noon, but ah.

- Cheers.

- Just roll it until the bong is straight down. Keep going, there you go.

- I'm helping dump a single barrel selection of the Stable Reserve's eight-year wheated bourbon coming out about 113 proof and smooth. Okay, that's the charcoal.

- That's the charcoal. Yup, yup.

- [Laura] That's what makes it bourbon.

- [Hunter] That's what gives it flavor right there, yup.

- [Laura] Every day is a good day for Hunter.

- It doesn't feel like work, so yeah. Yeah, it's a good day.

- [Laura] They bottle at the warehouse and will eventually bottle more on Main Street so the public can watch. Brody Arbiter is a former firefighter, but now does a little of everything at Stable Reserve, including bartending alongside Lindsey Fisher. The goal with all the spirits here is to make sure they hold up in the cocktails made on Main Street. We got a taste of four of their most popular. The south side is made with gin, mint, and lime.

- But this is a great drink for spring or summer. It's very refreshing.

- [Laura] You won't find this vodka cocktail anywhere else. It's Lindsay's personal creation.

- I'm using our vodka here at Stable Reserve and I'm infusing this with fresh jalapeno for 24 hours. So that's the base of this cocktail.

- [Laura] Add grapefruit, lime juice, and agave syrup.

- We're gonna garnish this with some fresh jalapeno and pepper and a little piece of lemon. And there you go, tres hombres.

- [Laura] Stable Reserve is known for its old fashioned, but the most requested drink.

- This is the espresso martini. This is our flagship cocktail 'cause all the ingredients use are our own. This is our own coffee cream liqueur that we put in it. Shake it up, throw a couple garnish espresso beans on there. All right, there we go.

- [Laura] Echoes of the past remain and help make the atmosphere what it is. Columns from the original livery stables still stand. The two-inch thick walnut floors are original. Even the tasting boards are made from the building's old wood floors.

- So this is our taste five, five different of our spirits.

- [Laura] While Stable Reserve has already won national awards for its cream liqueurs, bourbon, and gin, the spirits are secondary. This place was created by two Franklin natives who loved their city and wanted to create a gathering place for their community.

- Yeah, the feedback we get is very in line with, this place feels different when we come in. Hometown, authentic, genuine. We want it to be not ours, but for everyone.

- Well, thanks, Laura. In our final segment, Ray Stevenson moved to Nashville to be a songwriter, which he's done quite successfully, but Tammi Arender shows us that he's made an equally impressive mark on Music City with his brush.

- If you combine that sort of Rembrandt-looking portrait with like Spider-Man comic books or Gustav Klimt. If Gustav Klimt meets Rembrandt with a little pop culture thrown in, that sort of encapsulates my style, I guess.

- [Tammi] Ray Stevenson is a Georgia native who moved to Nashville to pursue music, but his back burner hobby, painting, pursued him.

- But when I moved here, I continued to paint and I taught a painting class actually a couple nights a week for about 10 years, which was really good because it forced me to learn a bunch of things that my students were wanting to learn.

- [Tammi] Music has been his bread and butter. He's written songs for Blake Shelton, Kenny Chesney, and Miranda Lambert. He's been part of four Grammy nominated projects, but he sort of hit a writer's block in his songwriting several years ago. So he decided to start strumming with brush strokes instead of a guitar pick.

- I've always put painting sort of on the back burner, and I've never just like gone for it. And it was like, "What could I do if I just like didn't hold back and went for it?" And so I decided I was gonna give myself two or three months to just like have fun and do that. All those paintings that I did in that two or three months ended up going into a show that I ended up selling everything, which led to me needing to do more, which led to, I got asked to be the official artist of the Monsters of Rock Cruise, which I did for several years, which had like 20 different rock bands from the '80s. And so I would do a painting of all the different bands and then sell it to their fans. And so I ended up developing this like series of rock and roll paintings, which led to me doing a series of country artists.

- [Tammi] His artwork has been on display in several notable Nashville landmarks from 3rd and Lindsley to the Bluebird Cafe, to the Country Music Hall of Fame just to name a few. The paintings are personal and peculiar in a positive way. Most are done from photographs.

- [Ray] Step one, I think the most important thing in a painting, especially if you're working from a photograph, is to find a photograph that just moves you somehow. If the subject matter moves me, then my percentage of me being able to move other people goes way up. So I always try to find photos that I feel like have some sort of soul or capture the essence of a Johnny Cash or Jimi Hendrix, you know, when they're like really in the moment of doing what makes him special.

- [Tammi] Much of his art now is commission work, like this one for a friend who was a coffee roaster in North Carolina

- [Ray] Based off my friend Matt's family and who were bootleggers. And so they commissioned a painting of some bootleggers, which sorta has a dark, not a dark, but a somber vibe to it, but they needed it to be very bright so that it brightened up this dark room. So that is my challenge with that, with the painting out there is to maintain the sort of tough grandpa's bootlegger vibe, but be very colorful.

- His artwork can range from lifelike portraits to 3D and psychedelic. So much of Ray's artwork is very unique. Take this one for instance. It's actually 3D. Wow. Just jumps off the page.

- I use a stencil and it's just tracing circles. And so it's like relaxing to come over here and work on this for a little bit, and then once I get ready, then I can sit down and I can focus and kind of change modalities or whatever, however I'm feeling. Some days I feel like painting and some days I feel like playing the guitar or working on music.

- [Tammi] So Stevenson gets to step into the creative world of his own choosing any given day, making art for fans of famous singers or creating keepsakes of those famous to only a few.

- I do a lot of moms and dads, which turn into family heirlooms and just things that really mean some, you know, a painting of Johnny Cash is Johnny Cash, but a painting of your grandpa, you know, means more to you. So I do a lot of that.

- Hey, that's gonna do it for us this week. Thanks so much for watching. Don't forget to check out our website, tennesseecrossroads.org and be sure to join us here again next time. Thanks and see you then.

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

- [Announcer] Students across Tennessee have benefited from over seven and a half billion dollars we've raised for education, providing more than two million scholarships and grants. The Tennessee Lottery, game changing, life changing fund.

- [Announcer] Discover Tennessee Trails and Byways where adventure, cuisine, and history come together. With 16 scenic driving trails, you can discover why Tennessee sounds perfect. Trips can be planned at tnvacation.com.