Food + Beverage

The Metal Guys

TMG Pits Handcrafted Smokers Put Knoxville on the World-Wide Barbecue Map Article by Patricia Storm Broyles | Photography by Shawn Poynter and TMG Pits Brandon Lawson and Hayes Walton founded TMG Pits (“The Metal Guys”) in 2020 as a side business that took off like wildfire after posting several custom-crafted smokers online. “Our second or third TikTok video had 4 million views overnight, and we decided to just throw down and start this business,” Brandon Lawson says. “We went international...

Home + Design

Gather & Gourd: In Her Martha Era

Elevating Knoxville's Entryways, One Season and Porch at a Time Article by Chelsea Babin | Photography by Chelsea Babin Photography, Hillary Teasdale For Knoxville native and founder of Gather & Gourd, Hillary Teasdale, the drive to create has been a lifelong passion. What began as a childhood love of designing, drawing and crafting has evolved into a growing local business that transforms ordinary entryways into thoughtfully styled seasonal spaces. Teasdale’s path to entrepreneurship was not...

Food + Beverage

Yoshi Visits the University of Tennessee, Knoxville

Article by Knoxville City Lifestyle Staff | Photography by The Mayfield Group Public Relations In the fall of 1988, a young international student from Japan, Yoshitoshi “Yoshi” Momoki, came to the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and for the first time in his life, he felt confident in himself and accepted. Momoki graduated in 1993 with a degree in broadcasting and now serves as UT’s unofficial ambassador to Japan and past president of UT’s Tokyo Alumni Chapter. After a successful career as...

Food + Beverage

Ice Cream Social at the Tennessean Hotel

Article by Amy Campbell | Photography by Amy Campbell and The Tennessean On Sept. 1, The Tennessean Hotel welcomed Lokelani Alabanza, author of “Ice Cream Queen: Flavors from Black America’s Past, Present & Future” and founder of Nashville’s famed ice cream brand Saturated Ice Cream, for an ice cream social happy hour event at the Curio at Maker Exchange. During the special author event, guests enjoyed a flight of flavors crafted by Alabanza, along with paired cocktails, while learning more...