It’s always great to feature local restaurant owner-operators who are actually expanding their business during these difficult economic times, and we’ve got some good news.
Ben Claybaker is the owner and one of the founders of HoneyFire Barbeque. Since 2018, HoneyFire has been serving its own special brand of sweet and spicy smoked meats from its flagship location at One Bellevue Place, and their second location in Assembly Food Hall downtown seems to be hopping every time I walk by.
Now Claybaker and his wife Elizabeth are delighted to announce their third location will open on Thursday, May 7, in Brentwood in The Shops at Seven Springs at 710 Old Hickory Blvd.
“I can’t wait to open the doors to our third, and our largest, restaurant,” says Ben. “Since we launched our first flagship back in 2018 at One Bellevue Place, we’ve developed a wonderful following of HoneyFire fans that love our award-winning barbecue, and I’m so grateful for our incredible staff that treats each customer like family.”
Plans for the new restaurant include an expanded whiskey collection and lockers that diners can rent out on an annual basis to store their own bottles. HoneyFire will also introduce some new menu items, including a brisket smashburger, brisket tacos, a decadent loaded mac-and-cheese and an equally over-the-top loaded baked potato. Operating hours will be seven days a week from 11 a.m. until 11 p.m.
In another unexpected news nugget: Claybaker’s former partner and HoneyFire co-founder Shane Nasby hadn’t intended to spill the beans yet on his fourth location of his popular Cledis Burgers & Beers, but the word got out. He has plans to move into the former home of of Murfreesboro's stalwart Boro Bar & Grill — which closed last year after 40 years in business — at 1211 Greenland Drive.
Considering the work that needs to be done to the building — and the fact that Nasby just opened Cledis No. 3 in The Gulch and is working to open a new concept with chef Alex Belew that they’re calling Chinwag — the opening date for Cledis No. 4 is completely unknown, even to Nasby. There’s a reason why we sit on news sometimes instead of publishing every snippet of info we hear, but we’ll be sure to share the skinny when we (and Nasby) know it!
Chef Sheldon Simeon
Finally, as a loyal Top Chef viewer, I’ve been a longtime fan of Hawaiian chef Sheldon Simeon. Apparently I’m not the only one, because the good-natured chef was named “Fan Favorite” in both Season 10 and Season 14 of the popular Bravo cooking competition series.
Simeon has a new cookbook coming out titled Ohana Style, and he’ll bring copies of it to sell and sign at a special event on Tuesday, May 12, at Stateside Kitchen in the Dream Nashville Hotel at 210 Fourth Ave. N. downtown. From 6:30 until 8:30 p.m., attendees will enjoy two chef-curated bites and a complimentary cocktail while chatting with the chef and learning about his style of cooking, which includes influences from his Filipino heritage and Hawaiian home. Each guest will go home with a signed copy of Ohana Style and receive two hours of free valet parking.
Tickets are $75 plus tax per person. Additional beverages will be available for purchase. Attendees will also receive a 10 percent discount when dining at Stateside Kitchen or Parlour Bar the same evening. Tickets can be purchased here.
