At one east Nashville restaurant, they have an ever-changing menu because they focus on what is in season.
At Butcher&Bee in Nashville, chef Scott Littman is almost giddy when the Nashville Grown food truck arrives. It is his weekly delivery of farm-fresh ingredients-- literally harvested hours before its arrival.
According to Littman, “We like to let them tell us what grows well at that time, and what they want to grow and they know how to grow well, and we’ll use it-- we’ll find out how to use it.”
Littman loves to take what is fresh and in season and make it sing-- not necessarily with the traditional southern twang.
“We like to take what they have and sort of utilize it and let that drive our menu, and just sort of put this Middle Eastern swing onto everything,” he states.
So with a middle eastern twist, Littman can take his wall of locally grown items and make something spectacular. From the ever-popular avocado crispy rice which, of course, avocados and rice are not grown in the region but he still uses local where he can.
“The little parts of each dish that are local and that really-- that’s why I’m proud of that dish as well. Not only does it taste great, but we are using a lot of local ingredients for something that is kind of not local as a whole,” he explains.
And another signature dish is the farmhouse hash, which features my all-time favorites: sweet potatoes and mushrooms.
While Butcher&Bee is one of the best at tickling your taste buds, Chef Littman says that there is more to the meal than what fills your tummy. It is what feeds your soul.
“That sort of sense of community and the sharing of a meal and sometimes that’s more important than the food itself!”