(upbeat ambient music) - [Narrator] This program was made possible by contributions to your PBS station from viewers like you.

Thank you.

- [Narrator Two] "Wish You Were Here" produced under an agreement with the Upper Cumberland Development District and made possible in part through support from the Tennessee Tech University Center for Rural Innovation, and the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development.

(upbeat ambient music) - [Narrator Three] In the heart of Tennessee, there's a little slice of heaven you've just got to see.

Oh man.

"Wish You Were Here".

- Welcome to "Wish You Were Here".

Adventures in Tennessee's Upper Cumberland.

I'm Kaitlyn Stickley, your guide as we explore the scenic beauty and unique culture of this stunning region.

(upbeat ambient music) Together we'll uncover hidden gems and take in picturesque landscapes and encounter remarkable personalities that define the charm of the Upper Cumberland.

Before we meet up with our "Wish You Were Here" field correspondents, let's get a taste of another stop on the Upper Cumberland Wine Trail.

As we learn about DelMonaco Winery and vineyards in Baxter, a sipping escape that boast award-winning wines, an event venue, dining experiences and scenic views.

(upbeat ambient music) Just minutes from Interstate 40 in Baxter, DelMonaco Winery provides a scenic escape and a taste of Tennessee.

I'm here today in Baxter, Tennessee at the beautiful DelMonaco Winery with owners Barbara and David DelMonaco.

Thank you guys so much for having us today.

- Well, thanks for being here.

- I wanna hear all about the winery, but first let's start with how you got started.

How did the winery start?

- Oh my, that's a long story.

Back in 2006 is when we first acquired the property and we wanted to put in a vineyard and possibly just sell to other wineries.

Well, we put our vineyard in and then it was like, "Oh, well there's not a winery here, let's just open a winery."

So we opened the winery in 2008.

We got to use our own grapes in our very first vintage.

Then we have the other vineyard that we have put in and it is a subdivision, so all the houses, their front yard is a vineyard.

- It's wonderful here.

Now it is officially cheaper in your books.

- Ah, yeah.

- To have a vineyard than to buy wine.

- It's cheaper to own a vineyard to keep her in wine.

(David chuckles) Yeah, definitely.

That's.

- Kind of true.

- So you are wine lovers?

- Yes.

- Tell me a little bit about your specialty wines and some of the product offerings that you have from the winery.

- Well, we tried to keep about 13, 14 wines on our wine list.

We partnered with the University, Tennessee Tech University.

We've had students that we've given scholarship monies to, to help us design the labels.

- [Katelyn] So in addition to your Tennessee Tech partnership, you also have another partnership as well?

- Yes, we have another vineyard, it's a small vineyard at Cummins Falls, and a lot of our guests throughout Tennessee and the whole country visit Cummins Falls and they get to enjoy our vineyard there and sometimes they'll come in and visit us here as well.

So we have that and we have a Concord Falls wine, which we have initiated all the different falls across Tennessee.

So we have named them on our box as well.

- Okay.

Mr. DelMonaco, she doesn't do all the, just the event work around here, you helped do some of the farming and pruning and taking care of the vineyard.

Tell us about that.

- I do.

I love being outside, so there's about 20,000 plants and somebody's gotta take care of it.

So you gotta prune them, you gotta pick 'em, you gotta mow, spray literally year round.

I mean, there's always something to do.

- [Katelyn] Tell me a little bit about what we can find here on the DelMonaco property.

- The 52 acres that we have, we've got, in 2006 we planted our one vineyard and then we've put in a subdivision and it circles the other vineyard.

Our winery itself, we have the Bella room and other rooms that we rent out and host different parties and weddings.

We have a kitchen that we have a bistro that people come out and enjoy.

We have indoor and outdoor seating.

- [Katelyn] Lots to do.

And including tours too.

- Oh yeah.

- Yes.

- [Barbara] We tour the cellar where you can go down with our wine maker and he will let you taste from his tanks in his barrels.

- [Katelyn] You guys have a beautiful event space on site where people that maybe wanna have a wedding or some other special event can rent out.

Tell me a little bit about that.

- [Barbara] We hold up to 300 in our Bella room, it has two levels and we do have the elevator, so our guests can use the elevator, they don't always have to use the stairs.

- Well, I'm really excited to see the grounds here today and learn more about the winemaking process, and see all that DelMonaco has to offer.

Thank you guys so much for having me today.

- Oh, thanks for being here.

- Pet and family friendly, DelMonaco provides a space for sipping, dining and relaxing all while taking in stunning views of the vineyards and lush landscape.

(upbeat ambient music) Handmade and unique gifts, upcycled furniture finds, plus homemade soup, sandwiches and desserts right in the middle of charming downtown Smithville.

Sounds like field correspondent, Shan Stout has yet another hidden gem to share with us.

Let's meet up with her at Cheryl's Beau Bees.

(upbeat ambient music) Located in the heart of downtown Smithville, you will find a unique and heartfelt destination providing specialty gifts, home decor and furniture, and delectable meals.

- Hi Katelyn.

"Wish You Were Here".

I am here in downtown Smithfield, Tennessee and it is a beautiful sunny day, and the perfect day to be out shopping and maybe grab a little bit of lunch.

So where could I find such a wonderful combination?

I'm here at Cheryl's Beau Bees with owner Cheryl Jones.

Hi Cheryl.

- Hey, how are you doing today?

Welcome to Cheryl's Beau Bees.

- Well, you know, I'm real excited to be here.

Everything is so happy here, there's bright yellow on the walls.

You have a bee theme obviously going on.

- Obviously.

- [Shan] Now you have all of these beautiful curated items.

Can you tell us a little bit about what we can find here at Cheryl's?

- A little bit of everything.

I like to say there's something for everybody here.

Most of the furniture is found by me.

It's older pieces usually that have been brought back to life, I hate to get rid of old things and I love old things as you'll be able to tell when you walk through our building.

We have children's things.

If you can see this little teddy bear back there, he's handmade by us.

- [Shan] Oh my goodness, he's adorable.

So this is a place of whimsy and creativity.

Now what if someone wants to use this as a event venue?

Do you do that as well?

- We do do that as well.

We rent it out in the evenings and for special occasions.

We had a wedding here, I'm also a notary, which makes me an officer of the court, and they don't do weddings at the courthouse anymore, so someone said, "I think Cheryl's a notary."

We can notarize it, marry you and get you a sandwich.

(Shan chuckles) We make all of our salads, our chicken, our egg, our pimento, our tuna.

Mostly we're soup, salad and sandwich, but we do have a hot plate special most days.

Sometimes I have a special salad or a special sandwich.

- Now inquiring minds want to know, there is a bee theme.

- There is.

- You have a very unusual name, Cheryl's Beau Bees.

You opened this business with your husband, Steve.

- We did.

(tranquil ambient music) - And tell us a little bit about the origin story with the name, because I know that holds some very special significance for you.

- So our son, his name is Beau, and he passed away a couple years ago.

But when he was a little boy, his dad, Steve started calling him Beau Bee One Kenobi, because he was a Star Wars freak.

But when his sisters were born, they kind of shortened it to Beau Bee.

And so Beau Bee he was, and after he passed away, I found a card he'd written me when he was in his teens and it said, "I love you mom.

I love you the most."

And he'd signed it, Beau Bee.

And so I was visiting a grief counselor and she said, "You should find something to help you incorporate his life into your grief."

And I've always been a crafter and a furniture refinisher, and so I started putting the bee theme into all of my crafts.

So each piece of furniture that you find or anything that you find that I've done handcrafted, like you could see, this little table's gotta bee hive on it and it all has bees in it.

- So as you can see, this is a labor of love.

When you walk through Cheryl's Beau Bees, you can feel the love in everything she does because it is in beautiful memory of her son.

And she and Steve have made a very extraordinary special place that I hope you come and enjoy.

But right now I think we should have lunch together.

- That would be fun.

- With fresh salads, premium sandwiches, homemade soups, and don't forget the desserts.

Cheryl's Beau Bees has something for everyone.

(upbeat ambient music) - A 90 acre lake amidst more than 300 acres City Park awaits us with kayaking, fishing, mountain biking, and more.

Let's join field correspondent, Rafferty Cleary just outside of downtown Monterey as he meets up with some outdoor enthusiasts at the outpost at Meadow Creek Park.

(upbeat ambient music) - [Narrator Two] Hiking, biking, and kayaking awaits you as the outpost at Meadow Creek Park offers rentals, clinics and workshops, and more.

- Life is too short to be indoors, so today we are outdoors at the lovely Meadow Creek Park in gorgeous Monterey, Tennessee, home of the outpost at Meadow Creek Park.

Heather Call is the owner.

Thanks for joining us today.

- Glad to be here.

- Heather, what is the outpost at Meadow Creek Park?

- We are a seasonal outfitters where we rent mountain bikes and kayaks as well as do instruction on both mountain biking and kayaking.

We do some fly fishing and rock climbing.

- [Rafferty] How did the outpost at Meadow Creek Park come about?

- Well, I've owned and operated a shop in Cookville, Tennessee, "The Outdoor Experience" for the past 25 years, about seven years ago, brought on Caney Fork cycles to the family.

And one thing I've learned over the years is people in this area are really interested in doing outdoor activities but sometimes don't know where to get started.

So the thought was, you know, if we have a space where we can introduce people to how to safely mountain bike or how to safely kayak, that would be a good thing for the community.

- [Rafferty] Relatively new wonderland, if you will for outdoor lovers, what makes Meadow Creek Park so unique if you compare it to all the other outdoor experiences, if you will, that we have to offer here in the Upper Cumberland?

- Well, it is just a gorgeous lake and not having motorized traffic is so nice for kayakers.

You don't have to worry about the wake and you can have a really relaxing time.

The trails, there's currently about six miles of trail out there.

You feel like you're in the middle of nowhere when you're just a few miles from Monterey.

- So mountain biking, extremely popular here at Meadow Creek Park.

And I think you have someone on staff who is an expert in the field.

- Absolutely.

Thad Hoffman who manages the shop in Cookville, he is here most weekends to instruct and guide people.

- Let's talk to Thad about a little bit of mountain biking.

- Great.

- Thad Hoffman is the manager of Kaney Fork Cycles, but when it comes to the outpost at Meadow Creek Park, he is the instructor, guide, expert in mountain biking.

Tell us about the trails at Meadow Creek Park.

- The trails here have been built by volunteers over the last couple years.

The Upper Cumberland SORBA, UC SORBA built the trails around here.

There's about six and a half-ish miles on this side, the lake currently open for hiking and biking, and then we're working on the other side at the moment cutting some new trails in there, as well as a beginner trail kind of right off here that we have a beginner trail that's kind of opened up.

It's gonna be wider, there's still some climbs and hills, but it's gonna be a wider, less obstacle, kind of more flow trail.

- What makes this mountain bike trail, I guess, unique compared to others across the region?

What will riders experience along the way?

- The best kept secret they're gonna let out is that this trail drains really, really well.

So mountain biking, you have a lot of rain and mud and issues.

The soil here drains really, really well.

So a little bit of rain doesn't affect it, and that's something a lot of that area and like Nashville area, that it thinks about rain, that's gonna be mud.

So this place is really good about that.

- A little bit of an incomplete trail if you will, you mentioned there's some additional work that needs to be done.

So what is the potential for the mountain bike trail here at Meadow Creek Park?

- Eventually 13, 15 miles with a lot of options for having flow sections, like just kind of little smaller loops so like if you're new or you're young, you got young kids, you don't have to do a massive loop, you can do short little loops that kind of like keep it close to the car and that get every out too far, so.

- A lot of watercraft opportunities through the outpost at Meadow Creek Park.

Who could I talk to about watercraft?

- Our local resident expert is Ian Stewart.

That would be the best one to talk to.

Yeah.

- All right, let's talk to Ian.

Ian Stewart is our guest now, he's the manager at Outdoor Experience and the kayak instructor at the Outpost at Meadow Creek Park.

Tell us about the watercraft that the outpost offers.

- This is such a great opportunity, we have a 90 acre lake, no gas motors, so there's nothing for kayakers to worry about or think about.

It's a beautiful serene lake, so you can come and take your family, you can take first time kayakers out on it.

We have a wonderful sand beach, you can go relax with the family through the day.

- [Rafferty] This is a little bit different I suppose 'cause you're not being pushed down a river, so to speak.

So there is a little bit of a challenge in this, isn't there?

- You are gonna be paddling while you're out here, but I actually like that, especially if you're gonna be doing it with your family, so I'm not having to watch my daughter when I bring her out here and put her in a boat, if she's drifting off that way, 'cause the river's taking her, I can keep everybody safe, keep everybody together and just have a nice, peaceful, relaxing experience on that water.

- All right, so all this talking about the mountain biking and the hiking.

- Let's go for a bike ride.

- Okay.

Let's rock.

- Maybe paddle.

- Let's do it.

- All right.

- [Narrator Two] While the outpost is a seasonal amenity, this nearly 300 acres City Park welcomes guests year round.

(tranquil ambient music) - Concrete you can eat?

This one has me curious.

Let's meet up with Build correspondent Matt Beal as he takes us for a tasting and frozen custard education in downtown Gainesboro at Honest John's Frozen custard.

(upbeat ambient music) - [Narrator Two] Richer, thicker, and creamier than ice cream, frozen custard has been a favorite dessert of owner John Dean since he was a child.

In addition to frozen custard, guests will find a menu of shakes, floats, sundaes, and even to-go pints.

- Hello and welcome to beautiful downtown and historic Gainesboro, Tennessee.

And I'm joined today by the owner and proprietor of Honest John's Frozen Custard, John Dean.

John, thanks so much for being here with us today.

- Thanks, Matt, it's great to be here.

- Well, this is a wonderful spot that you have here.

Honest John's frozen Custard.

- Yes, sir.

- Let's just jump right in.

People hear that and they think ice cream, but this isn't exactly ice cream.

Tell us what makes.

- It is and it isn't.

- Okay.

- So according to the Food and Drug Administration, it is technically ice cream, has the requisite 10% butter fat.

But what makes it different from premium ice cream is the air content.

So when you go out and buy fancy ice cream, 30 to 40% of what you're buying is air whipped in.

Frozen custard, 10% air.

So it's much more dense, more creamy.

Key difference number two, 2% egg yolk, which gives it the custard flavor.

Very subtle, but it makes a difference.

- John, walk us through the process of making the custard, as much as you can tell, without giving your secret recipe away, tell us how it works, what's the secret sauce?

- Well, the first thing we did is we did a national search for a dairy that would be our primary supplier.

And they make our custard and ship it to us every week.

We don't just put their custard in our machine, we modify it with our own special blend of vanilla that gives it a unique Honest John's flavor that you won't have anywhere else.

We pour the custard into a machine, we've named our machine Big Bertha.

Big Bertha does a fantastic job and consistently delivers ribbons of frozen custard, either vanilla or chocolate.

- [Matt] And I've looked at the menu and looked at this custard, and there's concrete, which is not a word you necessarily expect to find on a custard menu.

- What a concrete is, is it's frozen custard, vanilla, maybe chocolate, mixed in with candies, fruits, nuts, and maybe some gooeys that becomes a beautiful concoction that when you hold the cup upside down, doesn't fall out, that's why they call it a concrete 'cause it kind of holds together.

- Frozen custard concretes.

Once you can learn to say it, then you can learn to eat it.

So it's upside down, but no trouble getting my spoon through it?

It's still creamy and delicious when it comes time.

- No, your spoon's gonna have an adequate workout and your mouth is gonna love it.

- There seems to be just a good feeling, for lack of a better way of putting it on this property, and that's something that I think is an accidental but cultivated.

Tell me about what else you're doing here that we maybe don't see.

- We have a stated mission, our job is to be the joy, and we train on joy, we practice joy, we consider it an essential part of what we do, and our guests and customers really feel that when they come in and order their custard.

- [Matt] Nice to have something delicious and made with joy.

- [John] Yes.

- That is fantastic.

And we're so glad that you are here doing that and that you're sharing it with us today.

I would love to step in, I think I saw some of those joyful employees busy at work making some of this delicious custard.

- Yes, we're making custard today.

- Maybe we can try a little and see how that works out.

- Absolutely.

- Yeah.

- Yeah.

Fantastic, let's do that.

- [Narrator Two] Handcrafted frozen custard is a specialty treat in the upper Cumberland, and it can be found in downtown Gainesboro at Honest John's Frozen Custard.

(upbeat ambient music) They say that wine is among the many things that pair perfectly with specialty breads.

So before we wrap up today's adventure, why don't we take a little detour and follow the smell of fresh bread into downtown Cookville to see what's baking at Meg's Bread.

(upbeat ambient music) Specializing in natural 11 breads, pastries and pies, Meg's Bread uses sustainably sourced ingredients and farm fresh goodness.

- I'm real excited about this location and was so happy to get this assignment.

This is going to be a delicious interview and I am here with owners Meg Borland and Luke Yoder.

Hi guys.

- Hey, welcome to Meg's Bread.

- And West Side Grocery.

- [Shan] Tell us what Meg's Bread first off has to offer.

- Well, we have the naturally 11 bread, the sourdough bread, pastries, hand pies.

We also make salads and dips.

We have pizza on Saturdays and bagels on Sundays.

So we kind of do a little bit of everything.

- Tell us about how you decide on this menu, because there's a whole lot of creativity at Meg's Bread and you're gonna see things that are not at any other bakery I've ever experienced.

- Well, the flour we use is a Carolina ground flour, and they're out of Asheville, North Carolina, so they use a stone ground flour.

So that, I'd say is our secret ingredient of our bread and our pastries.

A lot of the things come from the farm that Luke grows seasonally.

And then now we have West side groceries, so we have access to a lot of organic fruits and vegetables also.

- We like too the idea that it doesn't have to be a big commitment.

You can just get something small or, you know, grab and go sandwich and a bag of chips or a salad, or you can kind of curate your own meal that way, and it doesn't have to be a meal like you normally think of sitting down at a restaurant.

- Well, and speaking of sitting down, we are in the dining area at West Side Grocery, and so it's also connected right next door to Meg's Bread.

So it's very convenient whether you're going to Meg's Bread, West Side Grocery or a combination of the two, you can come here in this beautiful dining area and be able to enjoy your meal or you can grab and go and take it back to wherever you've landed.

And this is a wonderful opportunity, but let's talk about growth.

Meg's Bread then evolved into West Side Grocery and Meg's Bread, but now you are expanding even further.

- Yeah, we are getting our deli going, which is kind of the final picture of the whole thing.

So we'll have our sandwiches from Meg's Bread here, and then we will also serve coffee and more grab and go items as well.

- Some of these items are wildly creative.

Who is the mastermind behind these very unique desserts?

I mean, you've had lavender, olive oil cakes, rose petal olive oil cakes, I mean, just some really unique things.

- It's a collaborative effort.

I mean, sometimes it's Luke and I at the farm talking about things.

I have a really great team of people who we talk it out or they ask for ingredients.

So we try to be very collaborative and have ideas.

- Well, it keeps things very interesting.

We're never bored when you come here because there's so many choices and always something that you'll want to try.

And I have to say, your molasses cookies are the best I've ever eaten, and that is just hands down, I'm so sorry to my great grandma.

I'm so sorry.

(Luke laughing) - They're also gluten-free, which you would never know.

- Oh my good.

You would never know.

Absolutely not.

Now Luke, tell us about your side, what are you passionate about?

Obviously the things you're bringing to the table from the farm.

- Yeah.

- To the West Side is very important to you.

- Yeah, and I really love having a produce section to grow for.

And then this year is really fun because I'm looking at who can I, what other farmers can I connect with and who can I buy this from?

And then just having a really stable supply of organic vegetables, even from a larger scale source.

Ideally it comes locally, but it's great to just have that better quality option than anywhere else and still have really good prices to offer.

- Well, I'm thrilled to be here.

Thank you so much for your hospitality.

Maybe could we take a peek behind the curtain.

- Hmm, yeah.

- At Meg's Bread and see how the baking and how the magic happens.

- Absolutely.

- Right.

Perfect.

You're hired.

- How'd I do?

(everyone laughing) I just have to show up at 04:30 tomorrow morning.

Okay.

- All right, see you tomorrow.

- [Narrator Two] Celebrating seasonality and creativity both makes Bread and West Side Grocery take pride in connecting customers to their food.

This husband wife duo really know how to team up when it comes to connecting a community of people based on delicious, nutritious food.

(tranquil ambient music) - Wine and weddings, fine dining, delectable desserts, small town charm, and outdoor adventures.

This is an adventure that will surely inspire your next visit to Tennessee's Upper Cumberland.

Thank you for traveling with us today on this journey and uncovering the region's hidden gems.

Until our next adventure, "Wish You Were Here".

(upbeat ambient music) (upbeat ambient music) As we explore the scenic beauty, and, sorry, I failed.

(claps hands) I'm gonna try not to, every time.

I thought you were gonna take Ian out.

- I heard the wheels turning.

I was like, "He is fine."

- Hold in.

- You gotta commit.

(upbeat ambient music) (upbeat ambient music) - "Wish You Were Here" produced under an agreement with the Upper Cumberland Development District and made possible in part through support from the Tennessee Tech University Center for Rural Innovation and the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development.

(upbeat ambient music) - [Narrator] This program was made possible by contributions to your PBS station from viewers like you.

Thank you.