Today's neighborhood restaurant: Inspired by childhood memories of big family gatherings and the resulting volume of Italian meals, Shawn Hackinson, along with his wife, Christy, created a comfortable, quality-driven eatery in downtown Murfreesboro called The Alley on Main.
"Where I grew up we called our streets 'alleys.' Our alley, with grapevines and fruit trees, became an olfactory heaven of pork chops, salads, Italian herbs and bubbling tomato sauce. Platters of gnocchi, ravioli and rigatoni were tossed around like frisbees as we laughed and yelled above the A.M. radio tunes," Shawn recalls.
As modernday restaurateurs, Shawn and Christy during June 2014 secured the lease of property at 223 W. Main and transformed the space before opening the restaurant on Nov. 10, 2014.
"We make everything in-house, including salad dressings and desserts," says Christy, adding they specialize in handcut steaks and fresh fish flown in each day.
"All of our Italian foods are from family recipes. Our scratch kitchen extends to the bar with fresh juices and housemade ingredients."
Shawn and Christy also are proprietors of One of Nineteen Cocktail Bar and Small Plates in Murfreesboro at 103 N. Maple St. Shawn says that name came from aftermath of a tornado outbreak in the Nashville region on March 2, 2020. "The devastation experienced by these communities prompted Christy and I to use our food truck to feed the people affected and those volunteering in cleanup. After contacting friends, asking to raise money to purchase food and to gather volunteers, we had $9,000 from 19 donors within 12 hours. The effort snowballed as we fed over 1,000 people a month that spring."
As members of the group said “thank you” for that support work being done, Shawn says he reminded them he was just one of 19. "Wanting to do something special for everyone involved, we decided to pick a bourbon barrel to commemorate. The phrase 'One of Nineteen' exemplifies that groups are made up of individuals, and together, shoulder to shoulder, we can accomplish great things."
Small plates at the cocktail bar are about "doing dinner differently," Christy explains, via crabcakes, fresh oysters, tacos, ribs, shrimp and bruschetta while combining vintage charm with modern sophistication.
The group's extended team currently averages 300 catering events annually, including 80 weddings. "We often use our food trucks as mobile kitchens," Christy explains.
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AlleyOnMain.com
OneOfNineteen.com