Chef Richard Jones is the master of preservation at Franklin’s newest luxury accommodations, Southall Farm and Inn. The 325-acre hostelry is built on a working state-of-the-art farm dedicated to sustainability. Here they serve the earth’s bounty in their restaurants Soujourner and January. Jones reigns over the Jammery, where he cans, freezes, pickles, dehydrates, ferments, and acidifies to capture the flavors of all the seasons to use in dishes throughout the year.
Sojourner provides a farm-to-table dining experience, serving up the fruits, herbs, vegetables, eggs and more produced at Southall. They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner to not only their staying guests, but also to the community. Recently opened January serves dinner and provides Jones with even more opportunity to explore our connection to the land through food.
“From handcrafted smoothies and house-smoked and cured meats at breakfast to shareable lunch and dinner dishes that highlight the season’s freshest ingredients, Sojourner is elegant but casual. Butcher to beekeeper, barista to sommelier, hen house to patisserie, delicacies preserved and foraged… this is Southall,” says their website.
When not preserving excess crops, like greens, nasturtiums, and strawberries, Jones offers workshops for guests at the Inn at a 24-seat test kitchen. According to edible Nashville, these workshops offer him the opportunity to teach people about where their food comes from.
“People leave learning where their food comes from, but also about flavor and flavor pairings,” Jones told the magazine.
Jones’ delicacies are also sold in the Inn’s boutique along with other items inspired by the farm. Food items for sale include things like Apple Cider Jelly, Pickled Dilly Beans and Bee Pollen.
Southall is the brainchild of Paul Mishkin, a former Chicago options trader, whose wife wanted to own land, grow crops and donate any excess to those in need. Then he turned it into a luxury agri-getaway experience by pulling together a team of experts to develop a vision.
“[W]e hired experts across many disciplines: land management, real estate development, farming, hospitality, culinary, spa, landscape design, architecture, interior design, and construction (to name a few),” he says on his website. “We asked them to dream big, to find ways we could create something new and special. And I believe they’ve not only achieved that vision but exceeded what we thought was even possible.
The inn has 62 guest rooms and suites, along with 16 separate cottages, which have been designed to reflect the nature around them. Those who come to enjoy the relaxed luxury never have to leave the farm, as there are hiking trails, a spa, a lake with boating and paddle boarding, classes, a pool in season and much more. It is about the natural experience, and open to families and dogs.
“Now that we are open,” said Mishkin, “we have added an incredible team of enthusiastic individuals who are ready to take care of our guests. They are all experts in their fields, and this is a place where they can be their most brilliant selves.”
Jones is one of those experts. And Jammery is where he shares his culinary brilliance with those who come to savor Southall’s fine dining.
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