RT Lodge General Manager Kelley Harris, left, and owners Annie and David Colquitt welcomed guests on the Friday night of “The Gathering.”
For the fifth year, RT Lodge in Maryville recently hosted a special weekend called “The Gathering.” Trevor Stockton, executive chef there, pulled together a genial group of chefs, farmers, and other suppliers, and the weekend was a solid sellout with prices ranging from $1,250 to $1,790 per person.
You can’t have a weekend of food and wine less than an hour outside of town and not attract a great batch of fun-seeking Knoxvillians — as well as others from far and wide!
In addition to the full weekend of meals, discussions, tastings, and excursions, some folks came just for the Friday or Saturday night dinners — and they were sold out, too. Part of the proceeds benefited the Southern Smoke Foundation, a nonprofit that provides emergency financial assistance to workers in the food and beverage industry.
Of course the food, wine and other drinks were great. But the thing that also stood out was the conviviality of the guests. To be frank, everybody seemed to be in a good mood! And that’s impressive with 150 people! (This post covers the first night of The Gathering. Come back tomorrow for a report on the rest of the weekend. It was a blast!)
On Friday, we arrived at RT Lodge to check in at the same time as our friends, Kevin and Maria McHale. That’s Alan Carmichael on the left. We didn’t know each other had signed up for the weekend.
We were welcomed with a cocktail called “The Dumb Blond.” Dolly Parton’s music would be a through line during the weekend. We loved it.
Homemade pimiento cheese, pickles and crackers were on a side table. Those plates remind me of my grandmother’s!
We settled into our room and then passed through the beautiful dinner setup on our way back to the main lodge.
The signature cocktails were the “Lady Continental,” left, with blanco tequila, Appalachian fernet, sorghum-basil, and lemon; and “Man of the Hour,” made with Chattanooga 111 whiskey, pepper-infused dry vermouth, honey, and bitters.
Served with a groaning board of appetizers!
Here’s a sample.
Mingling time on the beautiful patio.
I love the friendly koi!
And the friendly people! Bill Riley and I are on the Knoxville Symphony Board together. He is a partner at Twin City Dealerships and his friend Sidney Scialdone is an executive with lululemon.
More Knoxvillians! Brandon and Tricia Bruce.
From left, Phyllis Moore, Chandra Harris, and Lola Alapo.
Three great guys: from left, Bill Riley, Alan Carmichael, and David Colquitt.
More mingling on a lovely evening.
General Manager Kelley Harris and Executive Chef Trevor Stockton welcomed everyone to dinner. He’s been at RT Lodge for 18 years and this is one of his favorite events each year.
Chef Stockton.
Tyler Trainum, right, an owner of Autumn Olive Farms, an award-winning small family pig farm located in the central Shenandoah Valley of Virginia.
Thankfully, the temperature was moderating when we took our seats at 7:30.
The cooks were hard at work!
Chef Stockton putting the finishing touches on the beef ribs, one of the evening’s three entrees.
It’s show time! Grab your plate and get in line!
The entrees, from top: smoked swordfish with white barbecue sauce; 16 Peaks wagyu beef ribs with zhug sauce; and Autumn Olive Farms smoked pork shoulder with sweet heat sorghum.
The tasty sides: clockwise from top left, kilt greens salad on left of photo, melon and peppers in center, and heirloom tomatoes and cucumber on right; shishito peppers; fried potatoes; and green beans.
The breads at RT Lodge are out of this world. Shout out to pastry chef Caitlyn Cox.
My plate. I chose the swordfish as my entree. Everything was great. But the best bite of the night: those green beans!
Posting this photo for my friends at Cherokee Distributing. After their hard work, all the cooks were enjoying long-neck Miller High Life beers! From left: Khaled Albanna, Jeremy Harris, Keith Frila, Tyler Trainum, and Shannon Walker.
After dinner, we noticed Chef Stockton hard at work with some kind of contraption in his hands!
He was making the dessert cocktail: the Floral Royale. It consists of Francois Montand Brut and honey lavendar cold foam. Thus, the contraption!
Some of the desserts. (I couldn’t even think about it!)
Knoxvillians Becky Fuller and Jack Singleton enjoying the dessert cocktail. Jack and I know each other from our work with the historic Bijou Theatre.
Kelley Harris, left, and Megan Womack after dinner. Megan and Alan know each other from their work with the Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont.
Check back in tomorrow for a report on the two concluding days of The Gathering!
Looks delicious
Monique: It was! Fun, too!
Not to disagree in public with the Missus, but I thought the swordfish was the best bite. The weekend got even better the next day. Stay tuned.
Alan: OK. I’ll say that it was very, very good. I’ll give it the SECOND best bite!
About the Author
What You’re Saying
What’s Hot
Archives