Skip to the food:
My wonderful parents-in-law spoiled the heck out of us kids this September with a relaxing 3-night vacation at Blackberry Farm, the serene Relais & Chateaux nestled in the Great Smoky Mountains. As a farm-to-table enthusiast, this has been a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to taste and learn about the culinary practices of the Appalachian Mountains. Thank you Matt and Angie <3
Note: I found out after my stay that Blackberry Farm has been awarded 2 MICHELIN keys 🗝️🗝️! After four years of anonymous research conducted by covert reviewers, the prestigious Michelin guide launched their first Michelin Key hotel guide this year to highlight establishments of the finest hospitality around the world. Each hotel is thoughtfully evaluated by:
- Architecture and interior design
- Quality and consistency of service
- Overall personality and character
- Value for the price
- Significant contribution to the guest experience in a particular setting
So I haven’t eaten at any Michelin starred restaurants yet, but I have unknowingly collected my first 2 Michelin Keys 🗝️🗝️.
Living in Southern Comfort
We lived in pastoral luxury at Blackberry Farm, nestled in the Smoky Mountains. Our group stayed at the Garden House villa, which featured a three-bedroom main home and two free-standing cottages. All the bedrooms had plush king-sized beds and en suite bathrooms with free-standing bathtubs and heated floors.
My husband and I stayed in the delightful Root Cellar cottage. Having just read The Hobbit and all the Lord of the Rings books, I had extra appreciation for the semi-underground abode and its exposed beams and stone walls. We also had a patio with an outdoor fireplace, but we didn’t get to use it as it rained throughout our entire stay. I hope to one day design a guest house to resemble this cottage.
The other cottage was equally cozy, but emphasized wood instead of stone. The cottage smelled comfortingly of cedar and had a screened-in patio with two daybeds for tree-viewing.
Farm-to-Table Meals 24/7
My favorite part of our stay was getting to enjoy gourmet meals with fresh and locally sourced ingredients for breakfast, lunch, and dinner everyday. Needless to say, we didn’t have a single hungry moment. Blackberry Farm’s dining ethos celebrates the preservation of heirloom crops and elevates traditional Rocky Mountain cuisine to be haute and upscale.
The farm uses sustainable agriculture practices to cultivate vibrant heirloom tomatoes and beans, mushrooms, flowers, vegetables, fruit, and herbs for its restaurants. Adhering to Appalachian tradition, Blackberry Farm pickles and preserves much of its surplus crop, so their menu features an abundance of pickles, jams, and other fermented goods.
Blackberry Farm also raises their own dairy sheep, pigs, turkeys, and chickens to provide the highest quality of meat, eggs, and milk for their culinary team. The farm is especially proud of their award-winning ewe milk cheese, widely featuring their fresh Brebis cheese, creamy Hawkins Haze, Pimento cheese (and others!) in charcuterie boards, their gift shop, and many of the dishes.
We were also introduced to Blackberry Farm’s adorable Lagotto Romagnolo truffle hunting dogs, who assist in finding truffles cultivated in East Tennessee. Oddly enough, we didn’t come across a single truffle in the 10(ish) meals we ate, which I was a little disappointed by. Truffles seem to be a big part of Blackberry Farm, but none of the dishes featured truffle as an ingredient (which I was on the lookout for).
Breakfasts at Blackberry Farm
Here is a recap of the variety of breakfast dishes we’ve enjoyed over 3 mornings. The menu changes daily, so I tried my best to poach sample everyone’s dishes each morning. The breakfast came with fresh butter and homemade preserves, fresh fruit and berries, sheep’s milk yogurt, and coffee/tea.
I’m having trouble deciding which was my favorite breakfast, but I think this one was the most impressive from a culinary standpoint. The eggs are perfectly poached and spilled a beautifully runny golden yolk. The Brebis Grit Custard contrasted well with the emulsified spicy tomato sauce and the bitter greens. This stunning egg dish was finished with toasted wild rice, microgreens, and basil oil for a fun interplay of textures and flavors.
This is my husband’s dream breakfast. The gravy was creamy and perfectly balanced with the fluffy biscuits, and the smoked pork belly melted in the mouth. No bells or whistles, it’s simply the best sausage, sawmill gravy, and biscuits you can eat.
I never order pancakes because they get mushy quickly, but our waitress highly recommended this variation and it was absolutely worth it. These griddle cakes are springier than a typical pancake, so it held up structurally to the butter and syrup. The sour cream incorporated in the griddle cake batter also helped balance the sweetness and richness of the toppings.
This was the best omelet ever!! Wrapped in the silky eggs were a generous amount of porcini, shiitake, enoki, and maitake mushrooms, which paired heavenly with the rich creamy cheese. I will be attempting to replicate this at home, although it would probably end up being scrambled eggs, since I’ve yet to achieve a perfect French omelet.
Another stunning poached egg dish — all elements of the dish were silky and decadent.
Lunches at the Dogwood
Lunches at the Dogwood are typically a 3-course affair — a salad/small plate/starter, main, and dessert. Since I was always contentedly full from breakfast, I gravitated towards the lighter dishes and fish-based entrees. Blackberry Farm has a very inclusive and thoughtful menu — there are many gluten-free, vegan/vegetarian, and nut-free options on the menu that change daily, so everyone can eat worry-free and to their heart’s content.
Starters
Sea Island Red Peas is an heirloom variety of black-eyed peas originally cultivated in the Sea Islands of West Africa. They were brought over in the mid-18th century through the Trans-Atlantic slave trade, and became one of the first species of field peas grown in the American South. It’s interesting to know that many of the garden fresh veggies we munch on in the United States have deep historical roots in other continents.
Everything on this plate went together well — the cheese soft and salty, the duck rillette fabulously funky, the blueberry jam sweet and mellow, the pickled vegetables and egg mouth-puckering.
This was tasty and refreshing, but wasn’t anything I haven’t had before. I wish I picked the charcuterie board of the day instead.
The one bite I stole was sweet and bursting with vibrant flavor. The housemade Brebis cheese (Four-time winner at American Cheese Society!) is similar in flavor and texture to Chèvre, but is produced from sheep’s milk instead of goat’s milk.
Main courses
This was a solid dish — the fish was flaky and perfectly seasoned; the beans and peas made the perfect companion. I’ll definitely be reconstructing this dish at home for heart-healthy dinners.
This amberjack was one of my favorite dishes of this whole trip. A juicy piece of firm fish with sunshine-y tomatoes and capers is already one of my favorite food combinations. The addition of the silky sweet corn butter and tender charcoal grilled beans knocked this dish out of the ballpark. My baby niece was enamored with the “babies” inside the bean and our waiter brought us an extra side of beans just for her enjoyment.
My husband was starting to crave a burger after 3 days of world-class farm-to-table cuisine. Luckily, this burger was thicc, juicy, and perfectly satisfying.
Desserts
This dessert was so good, I wish I ordered it instead of the sorbet (below). My husband granted me one bite; this cake was too tasty to be split evenly.
The warm ginger flavor contrasting with the cold sorbet shocked the senses and the taste buds. It was good, but I couldn’t eat more than a few bites of it before it got overwhelming.
I don’t see spiced pear paired with chocolate too often, so this decadent cake was exciting to try. The toasty hazelnuts united the flavors together.
This profiterole was fluffy and airy, and the center is filled with pumpkin pie filling. Such a perfect dessert for the fall, so cozy and gentle.
Brunchy Cocktails!
Hehe, this little margarita caught everyone by surprise with the heat it packed! I’m a fan of spicy drinks, so I liked it a lot.
To be continued… Part 2 will Contain the dinner recaps.
