A moveable feast fit for presidents – and new friends

Our targets: Cliff and Jacque Hawks. He is the new president and CEO of UT's Cherokee Farm Development Corporation.

I’ve got to hand it to our downtown progressive dinner group. Give us a theme and we’ll jump on it. Give us a goal and we’ll accomplish it.

Case in point. Last month, we had a downtown progressive dinner scheduled and we were tossing around ideas for a theme. We usually center our meals around a holiday or a season or even a downtown activity. Once we said the food at each stop had to feature items purchased at the Market Square Farmers’ Market.

But one of our members, Bruce Anderson, threw us for a loop with his suggestion: presidents. Since Presidents’ Day was in February, the theme at each stop had to be connected to some U.S. president. We scratched our heads for a few minutes, but then readily agreed.

And the goal: Recruit this great new-to-town  couple, Cliff and Jacque Hawks, to downtown living. We invited them and they said yes. But by the time the progressive dinner rolled around, they already had put a down payment on a condo at The Elliott, which is still under construction at the corner of Church Avenue and State Street. I told you we were good! Ha.

The Hawks, of course, were easy targets. They already had decided to live downtown. Moving here from Nashville, Cliff has taken the position of president and CEO of the University of Tennessee’s Cherokee Farm Development Corporation. For the past 11 years, he has been the vice president and general manager of the Nashville Superspeedway. (Click here for some background on the innovative Cherokee Farm project.) Jacque, a gourmet cook and former sous chef, still is running back and forth between Knoxville and Nashville trying to get the couple’s affairs wrapped up there.

The first stop, for appetizers, was our condo at Cherokee Lofts at the corner of Church Avenue and Market Street. During my research, I learned that President Thomas Jefferson loved sweet potato biscuits, of all things! And, it just so happens, so do I. So I learned to make them and was really pleased with the result.

Sweet potato biscuits with smoked turkey and peach jam.

My other appetizer was a no-brainer. I’m from Georgia, so I selected Rosalynn Carter’s famous cheese ring. Only one problem: I didn’t have a 3-cup ring mold. And neither did the two friends I called, Gay Lyons and Monique Anderson. And neither did Kroger. So I made a cheese loaf!

Rosalynn Carter's famous cheese ring -- in a loaf mold.

We had to have red, white and blue flowers in the centerpiece, of course.

Several years ago, the annual Moxley Carmichael client party fell on George Washington’s birthday. We hired WBIR‘s Bill Landry of “The Heartland Series,” to dress up as George Washington. And we had this little stand-up George greeting guests at the name tag table. We hauled him out for our presidential progressive dinner.

Ha!

From left, Jacque Hawks, Bill and Gay Lyons, Monique Anderson and Cliff Hawks

Monique and Tim Young discussing some important issue, no doubt.

Alan made us champagne cocktails and dropped blueberries and raspberries in them to coordinate with the patriotic theme.

We stayed pretty much on schedule and left in just over an hour for Bruce and Monique’s condo in The Glencoe on State Street across from First Presbyterian Church.

When Monique greeted us wearing a pillbox hat, we knew the theme at this stop would be the Kennedys and their love of all things French.

Isn't this hat just the best?

And look what she served! Coquille St. Jacques in individual scallop shells!

Even the napkins had an image of Provence.

At about this point, we finally figured out why Bruce had suggested the presidential theme. He was involved years ago in that effort to bring a presidential museum to Knoxville! He clearly had accumulated some pretty cool presidential items.

Like a set of postcards bearing images of U.S. presidents that he's showing to Mickey Mallonee here.

Here's a closer look at some of them.

Or this tablecloth featuring presidents

Very appropriate for the occasion.

Presidential busts

Bruce even put together a trivia game about presidents.

Bill, a political scientist, clearly enjoyed that. (But Alan won!)

I think if we had let people use Google, Tim would have won!

And then, off to Tim's great condo in The Gallery Lofts above Mast General Store. I made everyone pose while we waited to clear security.

Are these not the prettiest margarita glasses you've ever seen? The ones with oranges for garnish were rimmed in sugar. The ones with limes were rimmed in salt. (I really wish they had not been quite so delicious.)

Tim and Gay worked out a great arrangement. Since she likes to cook so much and we weren’t going to her condo this time, she cooked at Tim’s place. He usually hires a caterer when he hosts, so this little deal worked out great for all concerned. Especially the guests. Gay selected a dish called “Country Captain,” a Georgia dish that President Franklin Delano Roosevelt came to love when he spent so much time in Warm Springs, Georgia.

Here is Gay, doing her thing!

Country Captain plated

Here is a close-up. It was delicious and unusual. I think that's due to the curry it contains.

I love a dish that calls for adding your own condiments!

Bill approved.

Tim’s condo is over-the-top great. Nevertheless, he continues to make improvements.

Like this awesome shoe rack!

Cute pic of Bruce and Gay

On to Mickey's Emporium loft for dessert!

Upon arrival, Jacque got introduced to Mickey's "boyfriend." We love him. Mickey lets him come to all kinds of events.

She made trifles, a specialty of hers. The one on the right featured cherries, in homage to George Washington, of course.

Even the cheese plate upheld the theme of the evening.

Yum!

Dessert is always Alan's favorite course.

Mickey gave everyone a little bling as a party favor! Love.

The Hawks checked out Mickey's shopping cart. All of us downtowners have them. It's so much fun to go from place to place filling them up. Especially when the Market Square Farmers' Market is in full swing.

Thanks to Cliff and Jacque for making sure our mission was accomplished! And thanks to everybody else for another successful downtown progressive dinner. When is the next one?