Pimento cheese on cheddar crackers were one of the passed appetizers during cocktail hour. The best pimento cheese I’ve ever tasted!
A great fringe benefit of living in Knoxville is being so close to the vaunted Blackberry Farm. So it didn’t take much consideration for Alan and me to buy a table for eight at this past Sunday’s fundraiser there for the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra. To be on the safe side, we also arranged for a limousine to transport us and our guests, so we wouldn’t have to worry about the aftereffects of the wine pairings that were part of the meal.
The Barn at Blackberry Farm is the perfect setting for this event. It is large enough to allow the KSO Chamber Orchestra to perform a 30-minute set after dinner, but is still small enough to feel intimate. The food and wine, as usual, were knockouts. And the Chamber Orchestra hit just the right tone with its beautiful short performance. I just wish we could do it every Sunday!
This is the third year for this fundraiser for the KSO. Renovations at Blackberry may cause us not to be able to have it at the same time next year. Here’s hoping something can be worked out. Until then, here’s a peek at the fabulous evening.
Our friends Mintha and Jon Roach in the limo, a stretch Navigator.
Debby Saraceni, with whom we’ve worked at Covenant Health for many years, joined us, along with her husband, Rock.
Our last stop was to pick up Jim and Phyllis Nichols.
When we arrived at Blackberry at 5, the reception already was in full swing. We jumped right in!
In addition to the pimento cheese, carrot pesto on baguettes also was being served. Never heard of such a thing, but it was delicious.
A signature appetizer at Blackberry Farm is the tiny pork belly biscuit.
Members of the Knoxville Symphony Youth Orchestra performed during the reception: Kai Smith, Gaibo Zhang, Holly Aslinger and Daniel Hong.
Debby Saraceni, left, and Phyllis Nichols posed with Jim Haslam, who loves this event.
Jon Lawler, left, and Mark Mamantov chatted with Mintha Roach. Both Jon and Mark are past chairmen of the Knoxville Symphony board.
Natalie Haslam’s daughter, Susan Robie, was in town for the festive occasion.
From left, Mary Johnson, whose husband, Rick, is the current chair of the Symphony board; Ann Furrow and Betsey Bush, another board member.
Rachel Ford, the executive director of the Knoxville Symphony, with her husband, Terry.
This cracked me up. Jim Haslam, left, was telling Sam Furrow about Instagram! “It helps you keep up with your grandchildren,” he said.
From left, Mike and Lisa Knott and Holly and Russ Watkins. Russ is on the Symphony board.
I was very happy to see this fellow, Micah Talley, holding my favorite brand of pinot grigio!
From left, Alan Carmichael, Jim Nichols and Rock Saraceni
Becky Paylor and Bob Lederer
From left, Linda Vaughn, Natalie Haslam and Barbara Arant
James Fellenbaum, center, resident conductor of the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, with Mark and Cathy Mamantov.
From left, Evelyn Shaw, Bill Arant and Mary Sue Greiner, development director of the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra.
From left, Alan Carmichael, Jim Haslam and Sam Furrow
Angela Howard and Rick Stone, a KSO board member.
KSO board member Tom Shaw, right, with Sandra and John Butler
When we were called in to dinner, the first course was a potato and ramp salad with pickled ramp aioli, hickory gastrique and a pickled quail egg harvested from a flock of quail who live at Blackberry Farm.
The yummy salad was paired with a 2011 Niepoort Docil vinho verde.
Next up was the best course of the night, everyone at our table agreed: roasted Carolina shrimp with Anson Mills grits, andouille, preserved tomatoes and pickled pepper emulsion. As you ate deeper into the dish, it became spicier and spicier. It was magnificent.
Oddly, the shrimp was paired with red wine. But it was a perfect match. The 2010 Domaine de la Janasse Vin de Pays de Vaucluse was 65 percent merlot and 35 percent syrah.
Next course was Eden Farms pork loin and crispy shoulder served with farro piccolo, Carolina rice, carrots, scallions and black garlic.
The shoulder, upper right, was the best thing on the plate. Wine was a 2010 Ladera cabernet sauvignon from Napa Valley
Blackberry always has the simplest centerpieces.
Prior to dessert, I did a little table-hopping.
From left, Mark Grayson, Susan Brown, Craig Shelton and Mary Ellen Brewington
Gil and Edie Volk
Evelyn and Tom Shaw
Barney and Sibyl Wray, left, and Dina and Laurentia Nodit
From left, Tom Joldersma, Thom Mason, Jennifer MacGillivray and Anna Joldersma
From left, William Stokely V, Whitney Brackfield, Jennifer and William Stokely IV
Jon Lawler, left, and violinist Sean Claire
From left, Donna Kerr, Donna Solod and Anna Hinds
Dessert was Olive and Sinclair chocolate mousse with Georgia olive oil, citrus and pink peppercorn. Alan was in heaven.
And then, it was time for a beautiful but brief concert to end a sublime evening.
Here’s Sean Claire earning his dinner!
The atmosphere in The Barn was just perfect.
James Fellenbaum conductiing
Concertmaster Gabe Lefkowitz
Linda and Buck Vaughn posed for this sweet picture after the concert.
Natalie Haslam with James Fellenbaum, left, and Gabe Lefkowitz
Awww. Poor thing. Exhausted.
Beautiful cellist Stacy Nickell Miller posed beside our limo. Looks like she owns it!
The only thing that exceeded the food and wine was the company of great friends. What a wonderful evening!
Phyllis: Thanks for joining us! Wouldn’t it be great to do that every Sunday night? Ha. (Not good for the diet, though.)
Always an amazing evening! Thanks for the chance to see it from another perspective.
We had an amazing evening with you all…food and wine was perfection and our friends, even better! Thank you for a fun time!
Rachel: Great job on the part of the KSO. The concert was beautiful.
Debby and Rock: Thanks for coming!
What a delightful place to hold an event. Sure hope you can book it for next year. And those carrot pesto hors d’oeuvres?? Interesting!!! And new to me, too!
Everything from going to Blackberry Farm, Meeting People, Wining, Dinning, and Being entertained by KSO, that night was a wonderful experience. We did have a great time. Thanks to the Masons for inviting us to this special event. We wish many more years success for KSO.
Rusha: I think you would enjoy it! Maybe you can come next year.
Anna: So glad you had a good time. For me, this is a not-to-be-missed event each year.
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