Margaret Littman

2 weeks ago | nfocusmagazine.com | Margaret Littman

Susan Wiley Cooper Walker moved to East Tennessee from Pennsylvania in 1932 to be close to her sister, who was married to the Maryville College chaplain. Susan had a vision and built a 26-room, Classical-Revival-style home. She then surrounded it with a lush garden, meandering pathways, a carriage house and stately stonework, all adjacent to the campus where her sister lived. It’s been 93 years, and Susan’s influence is still felt at the place she called Morningside.

2 weeks ago | savingplaces.org | Margaret Littman

Cedar Rapids, Iowa’s Brucemore, a National Trust Historic Site, is more than its stunning 26-acre, park-like setting and its 21-room historic mansion. While preservationists and school groups flock to the site, admiring its Queen Anne architecture, 1929 Skinner player pipe organ, and 1925 Grant Wood Sleeping Porch, its Artisan Studio has extended Brucemore’s mission.

2 weeks ago | nashvillescene.com | Margaret Littman

There’s bittersweet food news this week. TKO, the inventive Southern “Chinese-adjacent” restaurant in East Nashville, announced that its last day of service will be May 11. It’s bitter, because TKO was known and loved for offering a changing menu of dishes and cocktails in a welcoming, friendly environment. But it’s sweet for a couple of reasons. First, chef-owner Ryan Bernhardt and his staff have had these plans for months. They’re ready to move on and do so on their own terms.

3 weeks ago | nashvillescene.com | Margaret Littman

“Give the people what they want.” That’s the mantra of Chad Newton and Gracie Nguyen, co-owners of You Are Here Hospitality, the company behind East Side Pho in The Wash and East Side Banh Mi nearby. When the two were considering what to do for their next restaurant, they leaned into their backgrounds, having lived and worked in the San Francisco Bay area. They leaned into their desire to open a variety of Asian restaurants in East Nashville. They leaned into Reddit.

3 weeks ago | nashvillescene.com | Margaret Littman

Ana Aguilar and Josh Cook have been cooking together in town for years. First at Husk Nashville, where they first met, and since the pandemic, serving their Latin American pastries and breakfast foods at farmers markets and at the now-shuttered Henry James bar. On April 29, the pair will soft-launch Tantísimo’s brick-and-mortar restaurant, which they say is the city’s first farm-to-table Latin American restaurant.