Chef Julia Sullivan
I’m not the sort of writer who lives and dies by the scoop. Sure, it’s nice when someone wants to give you the story first, but I don’t scour building permit lists looking for the news about a new restaurant that has plans to open in Mt. Juliet. I prefer to get the story right instead of first. So that means I occasionally sit on a piece of news, either because details are still outstanding or someone asked me to hold on to what I know.
And so that's why I didn’t tell y’all about Julia Sullivan’s next project, separate from her ongoing relationship with Strategic Hospitality. I steal away to my cabin in the woods near Sewanee most weekends, and the local scuttlebutt about the Old Steam Laundry building near the edge of the University of the South’s campus was that a “Nashville chef” had plans to move into the building at 36 Ball Park Road that had been home to several restaurants over the past two decades.
Considering that the Instagram account for Judith has no content at the time of this writing but already has more than 3,300 followers, I’d say it doesn’t seem like it has been much of a secret. Oh well, now I can finally spill the tea on Sullivan’s upcoming restaurant, and as a part-time resident of Sewanee, I couldn’t be more excited!
The building has been vacant since the tragic auto-accident death of David Boyd Williams in May 2023. He was the owner-operator of Lumière, a delightful little South of France-inspired bistro that had become a very popular gathering spot for locals during its short lifespan as a restaurant. Since then, rumors traveled along the “Sewanee coconut telegraph” that the building might become a microbrewery, a bike shop or a pottery studio, or maybe even all three. Then the university purchased the almost 5,000-square-foot building in May of this year. And when the university becomes the landlord, speculation turns in a different direction.
But it makes great sense that the school and Sullivan chose each other as landlord-tenant partners in the new venture. As the daughter of an alumnus, Sullivan spent a lot of time in the area as a child, and her godfather was on the faculty. Oddly, peeking in the window of the former Lumière whenever I was passing by, it looked like the restaurant was frozen in time, with bottles above the bar and tables set for service, just waiting for someone to turn on the lights. I did notice some paint samples rolled onto the exterior walls a few months ago, so I figured something must be in motion. (They chose tan, BTW.)
Judith, where you'll soon find me on Friday nights
Sullivan plans to make Judith a new American tavern, hospitable and welcoming for students, faculty, residents and visitors. She named the restaurant in honor of Judith Ward Lineback, the first woman to matriculate at the University of the South in 1969. In her first solo project as a restaurateur, Sullivan plans a menu of seasonal dishes with plenty of shareable small plates that should prove popular with the local happy hour bar crowd (me). Henrietta Red’s beverage manager, Patrick Halloran, is working with Sullivan on the new wine and cocktail menu, and if you’re a fan of his work at Henrietta Red (me again) this is another exciting development.
No opening date has been announced yet, but I will continue my restaurant stalking efforts, not for the scoop, but strictly for selfish reasons. The restaurant will be open from Thursday until Monday, which fortunately coincides with the days we usually spend on the mountain instead of in Nashville.
I. Can’t. Wait!
