Bid on Some of the Secrets of Zola's Pizzazz

One of Nashville's best-loved restaurants served its final meal last weekend, and all the kitchen equipment, dishes, chairs and precious professional gear collected over 23 years is being sold online by McLemore Auction Co.

Chef Deb Paquette's restaurant Zola had a lively and sweetly satisfying final night on Saturday, says restaurateur Rick Bolsom, a founder and partner in the 13-year-old restaurant, with friends and regular customers dining and reminiscing until well past midnight.

The closing is the end of a two-decade run of fine dining. For 10 years before Zola, Bolsom and wife Vicki had a pioneering dining spot, Cakewalk Cafe, in the same space, 3001 West End Ave. Bolsom says the reason for Zola's demise is not the economy (the restaurant remained successful to the end), but because Paquette and her husband Ernie, the restaurant's general manager, want to fulfill their dream of moving to a tropical island and running a fishing resort. (Ernie Paquette was a veteran fishing guide in Florida when Deb met him, and for 22 years he's owned South Harpeth Outfitters, which caters to local fishing enthusiasts.)