Generous Helpings: A Nashville Food Event Featuring 27 Delicious Food Vendors

For the last 108 days, I have been eating on the lighter side. The rewards of weight loss are many, but for me I do it so I can really enjoy my eating. I love food, but only good food. I wouldn’t dream of wasting calories at a drive through. I eat intentionally with thought and my health in mind. That doesn’t mean I don’t know how to throw it down at a “foodie” event like Generous Helpings.

Last night 27 restaurants, caterers and culinary institutions got to who off their delicious food in small bites and appetizer portions as part of a fund raiser at the Nashville Farmer’s Market for the Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee and Middle Tennessee’s Table.

It was a lot of good eating for a $40 advanced ticket and this event will be on my calendar next year. It was a chance for vendors (mostly fine restaurants) to show their stuff and they did not disappoint.
The Nashville Farmer’s Market was a perfect venue, as local ingredients were the highlight and the evening started off for me with two perfect vegetarian dishes. Miel was the only salad option of the evening, and yet the slivered snap peas, carrots, lettuce, grated cheese and pea shoots won me over to want to know more about them. They also served a unique strawberry lavender lemonade that they understandably ran out of and one I aim to make at home.

My favorites overall food came from the very casual Fido’s, coffee house/eatery that serves the best breakfast in middle Tennessee, but also does up lunch and dinner. I can’t get the cupcakes off my mind, and I’m not a sweets person. Blueberry Lavender, Pink Rainbow (made with beets) and a very rich Chocolate.

Fish and Co. presents upscale southern seafood.

I adore the Pied Piper Creamery and I ate all three flavors offered, including trailer trash. What I didn’t know was that her sister owned the Pied Piper Eatery (also in East Nashville). They served pot roast sliders and mushroom soup. Now I’m a fan of both. And, I was informed that Pied Piper Creamery now has a location in Berry Hill, very good news for us in Franklin.

Provence is a favorite bakery of mine for bread but they also have delicious crafted desserts.

I am a meat lover. My two favorite selections were a braised lamb with a mint gremolata on naan bread (Nashville State Community College Culinary Arts ), and braised short ribs. I am particularly grateful because there was an over abundance of pork selections, as there usually is at Nashville events.

This is a mere sampling of what we experienced, which also included beer, wine and live music. It was a fun evening with a win win combination of supporting a good cause and sampling Nashville’s great food.

It was a great evening and I’ll go back again next year. Even the most casual of restaurants put out very high quality food.

Participants included:

F. Scotts, Holland House, Mad Platter, Nashville State Community College Culinary Arts, Second Harvest Food Bank Culinary Arts Center, Sweet 16th Bakery, Table 3, tayst, Watermark, Pied Piper Creamery, Pied Piper Eatery, Provence Breads & Café, Chappy’s On Church, Fido, mAmbu, Perl Catering, Miel, Eastland Cafe, Fish & Co., Midtown Cafe, Sunset Grille, Cabana, Caffé Nonna, The Local Taco, Amerigo Italian Restaurant, SOL, Red Pony, 55 South, Noshville, Porta Via, MacK and Kate’s Cafe, Kroger Chef Shoppes, and Park Cafe.