Jeremy Barlow, who won the Scene's Iron Fork competition in 2009, is closing his flagship restaurant Tayst.
Jeremy Barlow, chef-owner at
Tayst, has announced he plans to close the groundbreaking fine dining spot at the end of the year. In fact, New Year's Eve dinner will be Tayst's final meal — which comes just a few weeks shy of what would have been the restaurant's ninth birthday.
Barlow says he wants to spend more time with his family (he has two school-age daughters) — as well as continue to develop his second restaurant, the popular sandwich shop Sloco in 12South.
Tayst broke ground as Nashville's first certified green restaurant (it officially earned that status in 2008), and part of Sloco's mission is to educate consumers about sustainable eating. Barlow uses local meat and produce, and even lists the number of miles each ingredient traveled.
He will continue his food activism after Tayst closes, promoting his book Chefs Can Change the World and volunteering with community advocacy groups. Barlow plans to keep Sloco open and work toward developing it, possibly into multiple locations.
Barlow's work with Tayst has helped him earn a national profile — he has already cooked a prestigious dinner at the James Beard House in New York, and returns to New York on Oct. 17 to cook at the James Beard Foundation Leadership Awards.
Next week he's offering "pre-dinners" at Tayst to give Nashvillians a preview of what he'll be serving for the James Beard folks. (Those dinners are scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 10, and Thursday, Oct. 11, at Tayst. The six-course dinner begins at 6:30 and is $65 per person without wine pairings, $85 per person with wine.)
Barlow's also promising numerous other special events as Tayst winds down. Check out Barlow's full release after the jump:
