After a 17-year run, veteran Nashville restaurateur Curt Cole will close his Firefly Grille within two weeks.
Known for its artisan cheeses and breads, interestingly presented fruit dishes and inventive American-cuisine-influenced menu, the restaurant operates at 2201 Bandywood Drive.
Cole announced the closing via social media. Health concerns involving mobility have hastened Cole’s retirement after a 40-year run in the food and beverage business.
Cole said he is “sincerely grateful for the support of his employees and customers over the last four decade,” adding that he is “looking forward to spending weekends” at home with his family. He will remain in Nashville, his hometown.
Also known for his previous restaurant work at Midtown Café in Nashville and at Washington, D.C.-based Music City Roadhouse, Cole tells the Scene he's considered closing over the past few years. He said the restaurant is home to 16 employees, both part- and full-time. Cole leases the building from which the restaurant operates.
Former Firefly Grille chef Kristen Gregory — who left the Green Hills restaurant to open the late Fly South in Leipers Fork in 2014 — has appeared on the Food Network programs Chopped and Cutthroat Kitchen, having won her episode of both.
