Blackberry Farm in East Tennessee Serves Up Award-Winning Cuisine From the Land

Blackberry Farm

There are many faces of agritourism across East Tennessee. At Blackberry Farm, the experience is elevated to a level of luxury. Heirloom produce is brought to life by talented chefs and served across their three restaurants, including the James Beard Award-winning Barn at Blackberry Farm, while pasture-raised sheep milk is churned into exquisite dairy products at the creamery. Between waking in a historic room on the rural Walland farm and touring the well-cultivated gardens of Blackberry Farm, guests can have an unforgettable experience of farm-to-table agriculture. 

Blackberry Farm is a decades-old family business with origins as a nine-bedroom inn tucked into the Great Smoky Mountains. Today, the sprawling estate is a testament to the roots of agriculture and farm-to-table cuisine in the region. Heirloom produce grown by master gardeners and dairy products processed by master cheesemakers fill the menus of the Farm’s three restaurants: the Barn, the Dogwood and the Main House. 

Each restaurant experience pays homage to the land on which the food is grown. By learning more about the daily operations of the farm, guests get to be part of what makes the food here so special. 

“We have the full circle here on the farm, and I think that’s a huge part of what makes us stand out,” says Christen Waddell, farmstead director at Blackberry Farm. 

Blackberry Farm

From milking sheep before dawn to selecting fresh produce from the garden for the day’s menu, the farm creates a more intentional experience for its team of chefs and gardeners that they hope carries through to the guest experience. Many of the operations on the farm mirror the way things have been done throughout the decades, taking guests back to a simpler time when consumers lived closer to the source of their food. 

“It’s a slower pace, a simpler way to be,” says Cassidee Dabney, executive chef of The Barn at Blackberry Farm. “I want guests to feel the connection of the food to the land and the people.” 

The Blackberry Farm experience isn’t restricted to guests and visitors. Customers can take a piece of the farm home through their online store, bringing Blackberry Farm’s high-quality products into the kitchen. Curated jams and jellies, honey, hot sauce, coffee, cheeses and more are just a click away. Whether enjoying their products in view of the Great Smoky Mountains or from the comfort of home, people can celebrate the taste of East Tennessee from anywhere.