The Nashville Food Project’s Blog
Behind the Scenes for our Episode of Trisha’s Southern Kitchen
One day this past September, we were having a day like any other when we got an exciting call at The Nashville Food Project office. It was a producer from Food Network saying the network was interested in featuring us in one of their shows, and we were thrilled!
One day this past September, we were having a day like any other when we got an exciting call at The Nashville Food Project office. It was a producer from Food Network saying the network was interested in featuring us in one of their shows, and we were thrilled!
Earlier in the year, we’d had a dedicated volunteer and board member (shout out to Ann!) introduce us to a friend of hers - the one and only Trisha Yearwood. Trisha had joined us for lunch and a tour of our kitchen, garden and office at South Hall, and we were thrilled with how quickly she seemed to connect with our mission and the work we do here in Nashville. That connection really came through when her Food Network show Trisha’s Southern Kitchen featured The Nashville Food Project in a recent episode.
After the initial call in September, we followed up with Trisha’s producer and developed some ideas for the episode. Those ideas were pitched to the network and approved so we quickly went to work getting ready. There were calls with production and Trisha’s culinary team, and soon enough we had a plan for filming. Trisha and her sister Beth were interested in testing out some healthy recipes that could easily feed a crowd, and we knew they just had to join us for a meal.
Just a few months after that initial call we had a whirlwind day of filming. Trisha, Beth and an incredible film crew were in our kitchen and prep room much of the day, all while volunteers kept our usual work going. Trisha and her team were incredibly gracious and such fun to work with!
The day ended with our weekly Tuesday night dinner at Trinity Community Commons where our mission came to life for everyone involved. Over a delicious dinner, we enjoyed fun conversation, took lots of photos and reveled in the excitement of sharing our story in such a big way. We walked away with new friends from the crew, many who told us of plans to come to more meals at Trinity.
We are unbelievably proud of the episode that Trisha and her team put together. If you haven’t seen it yet, don’t worry! If you’re a cable subscriber, using your cable authentication code, you can find and watch the episode on the Food Network app on Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire, or iTunes. You can also find it at https://watch.foodnetwork.com/live/. At the top right corner of the page, you'll see a button to sign in through your cable provider. Then you can look for "Trisha's Southern Kitchen" Season 11, Episode 9.
And, of course, we can’t help but share the delicious recipes that Trisha shared with us!
Try them for yourself:
Trinity Meal Brings Community Together
With a personality even bigger than his beard, Nate Paulk leaves just about everyone he meets with a big smile and an “I love you.” Employed by the United Methodist Church two and half years ago to help bring life into a church with a dwindling congregation, he works to connect people of the community to one another and to the space…
Outreach intern Noelle Browne arrives at the Trinity United Methodist Community Meal.
With a personality even bigger than his beard, Nate Paulk leaves just about everyone he meets with a big smile and an “I love you.”
Employed by the United Methodist Church two and half years ago to help bring life into a church with a dwindling congregation, he works to connect people of the community to one another and to the space. He’s helping turn the church back to the people who live in the community through programming -- and food.
Nate and Trinity United Methodist partnered with The Nashville Food Project two years ago for a community meal every Tuesday. Rather than serving food from The Nashville Food Project trucks, though, this meal goes on tables family-style giving guests an opportunity to slow down and connect.
“There’s so much beauty in the ordinariness of getting together for dinner,” he says.
On a recent Tuesday, TNFP outreach intern Noelle Browne unloaded pans of chicken stir-fry with rice, green salad for our gardens and a berry crisp. Volunteers and community members pitched in to help put food on platters for passing at the table.
The dinner draws anywhere from 30 to 75 people each week. Most attendees are non-church members at Trinity but live nearby in an area that’s considered a food desert. Nate hopes to gather the group with staff from The Nashville Food Project and Community Food Advocates for a special meal on Tuesday, Dec. 15 to discuss ways to improve fresh food access in the area.
“I try to listen to people,” he says.
Leftover food is boxed up for those who pass through after dinner.