By Doc Lawrence – In 1928 Pulitzer Prize winner Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings left New York for the wilds of Florida, lamenting that her “first Christmas at Cross Creek would break my heart,” but she stayed on to become one of America’s most acclaimed writers. With full knowledge she would miss the traditional celebrations up North, …
By Doc Lawrence – Housed in a glorious Southern mansion in the heart of Music City as Nashville is often called, Jimmy Kelly’s landmark restaurant works hard at becoming the standard by which American steakhouses are measured. Founded in 1934 while the country was in the throes of the Great Depression and just one year …
By Doc Lawrence – Bart Giamatti, a popular commissioner of major league baseball famously observed that life for kids of all ages begins again each spring with the first crack of a bat meeting a baseball. You get a head start on the annual rebirth in Florida where a select number of baseball teams come …
GOURMET HIGHWAY: Florida’s Grapefruit League – An American Tradition Read More »
By Doc Lawrence – Love should never become dormant. Old love is mature love, but sometimes creeping benign neglect takes a toll. The good news that rekindling the coals isn’t rocket science. Dining adventures during this special month when we honor love as an essential institution is tailor-made for rejuvenation through celebration. It’s a journey …
By Doc Lawrence – Memories of Cuba are top-heavy with food, fishing, cocktails, baseball and music. My first baseball coach was named Manuel Cordero, a Cuban-American who inspired me to travel to Cuba and learn. I was lucky to visit during my baby days. Like Key West, visiting Havana is a Hemingway experience. His home, …
By Doc Lawrence – When you first see the stunning Indian mound crowned by a lovely gazebo, you know you are in North Georgia’s wine country. Once the land of the Cherokee whose presence was doomed when gold was discovered in nearby Dahlonega, the area is now home to a thriving and diverse wine industry. …
Gourmet Highway: The Food and Wine of Sautee Nacoochee Read More »
By Doc Lawrence – Two villages in rural middle Tennessee showcase much of America’s grass-roots mosaic. If you suffer from the dreaded Big City Blues, but have no yearning for roughing it, then destination gems Bell Buckle and Lynchburg will welcome you with friendly arms. For years I have meandered along twisting, two-lane roads into …
Gourmet Highway: Tennessee’s Magic – Whiskey, Bell Buckle and Barbecue Read More »
By Doc Lawrence – For lowlanders the steep winding road up to Cataloochee Ranch is daunting, While the highway to heaven isn’t easy, bountiful rewards await those who reach the pinnacle: welcoming smiles and open arms, clean air and pure water, blue skies and lush landscapes. There’s the bonus of laughing children, sighting a red …
By Doc Lawrence – As summer winds down, my journeys over the years regularly take me back to Tennessee. Kinship is a lure with family near Nashville. But, increasingly the draw includes the taste adventures of Tennessee whiskey, the delightful food served in country restaurants and the taste thrills from the remarkably ascendant Tennessee wine …
By Doc Lawrence – Julia Child advised those seeking fulfillment to “find something you’re passionate about and keep tremendously interested in it.” Entrepreneur Robert Rankin has a passion for his Snowbird Mountain Lodge and his interest in hospitality qualifies him as much more than one of the South’s top innkeepers. His philosophy is to “get …