Blackberry Farm's Brian Lee on What Hasn't Changed
Tell us about yourself:
This is my 23rd year at Blackberry Farm. I graduated from the University of Tennessee Knoxville and was working for chain hotel brands and uninspired by what was happening there. I answered a blind add in the newspaper for a “country inn seeking smiling faces”. It caught my attention and I knew it was unique. “Believe in yourself and make the call” is what I told myself. The voice on the phone was polite and kind and next thing I know I had the job. I found this group of people that were so "yes oriented" and passionate about serving. It’s like running a family kitchen with constant flow of house guests. Twenty three years later, I’m the GM.
How have you maintained your passion for service?
The Bell family said to me, “We want you to own all guests at all times.” That laid the groundwork for the role I would have here focusing on quality and connecting the guest to the experience to the team.
What’s changed about Blackberry Farm in 23 years?
When I started, we were 23-24 bedrooms when he started with a staff of 23. Now we are 80 guest rooms and staff of over 875. There has been exponential progression in occupancy and an evolution in the type of guest we attract - we used to be couple oriented, and now we’re family oriented. Multi-generational family travel is really big. When Blackberry Farm opened, this was a dry county and now one of the largest wine collections in North America.
What is Eastern Tennessee like these days?
I’ve lived here in Eastern Tennessee my entire life. I went to school 5 miles from Blackberry Farms. There’s a gentle way of life here, a rural community, values don't change, and classic Southern hospitality runs very strong. We have 44 acres bordering the Smoky Mountains and it’s in our blood to protect our land for the next generation.
One thing that's very unique is the local Knoxville restaurant scene. A lot of the chefs that own restaurants downtown Knoxville have come through our kitchens. One of the pastry chefs now has a bakeshop. Two of the other chefs own a great restaurant called Walnut Kitchen. I’m proud to see our people realize their dreams of owning a business. I’m glad we could help lay the groundwork for someone to go on and do something incredible.
We’ve been integral in creating a local farmer's market, which plays tribute to agriculture in the area. I was raised on a dairy farm - farming is in my DNA.
So tell us about your Knoxville favorites.
JC Holdway - I get the pork belly biscuit or white bbq chicken wing. I love a simple roasted chicken and they have an awesome oven fired chicken. We are such a BBQ area - Calhoun's has been a part of my life forever. That’s my favorite evening getaway when I want ribs and fries. The best burgers and homecut fries are at Litton's in Northern Knoxville.
Where else do you like to travel?
I’ve had the great fortune of traveling quite a bit. Our last trip was to Uganda to be with gorillais in the Burindi national forest - there are only 800 left on the planet. There's a sense of responsibility there.
I loved Egypt and walking inside King Tut's tomb in Petra, Jordan, walking on The Great Wall in China, snorkeling in the Galapagos and hiking the Inca Trail at Macchu Picchu. I didn’t want to wait too late to see the world. Travel gives balance to my work here - the high expectations and the commitment to quality.
I love the Post Ranch Inn in Big Sur - it’s a slice of heaven. You can hear yourself think. The Pacific Ocean is so powerful and there is something so special about the simplicity of the treehouses. We don't always stay in luxurious places when we travel - we try to do things that are simple and off the grid sometimes.
What do you notice as a guest?
Sincerity of the person providing service. What is the culture like, are they (the employee) comfortable, are they having fun? When it’s someone going through the motions I think they haven’t been empowered to take care of a situation. I never really liked the line between service and guest; you can hide behind that line. It's always the attitude of the staff that catches me quickly.
What’s an ideal day at home?
I would start my morning with breakfast out (Long's Drug Store) and a haircut at Frank's Barber Shop - they have a great pool table and root beer and it’s low key and relaxed. Then I am riding my bike somewhere. My absolute favorite is to go to the Smokey Mountains and take a hammock and some supplies and lose myself next to a stream. Hearing the sounds of the river is relaxing regardless of the season.
What are some objects you can’t live without?
Of the animate variety, I love my two dachshunds dearly. My Yeti water bottle is a guilty pleasure. I might have an addiction to my iPhone but something kind of old school is that I am not content unless I am not writing with a pencil. I still take notes on a legal pad with a black #2 pencil. I like the way it feels in my hand.
What’s something people don’t know about you?
I live in this extroverted world but I am an introvert. I always thought I had to be this extroverted person because i am in front of the guest, but then I realized that I am an introvert and I love my me-time and down time or I get out of balance. That always surprises people.
What’s something people don’t know about Blackberry Farms?
The working farm component. There’s a lot of mystique around Blackberry Farms. People know the name. we're not the most luxurious hotel and we're not in this travel centric part of the world, but you realize the "art of fine living" when you get here - it takes people's breath away. They didn’t know what it was but then they get here and they realized they haven’t experienced it before. They want to compare it to other Relais & Chateaux properties but Blackberry Farms has its own southern gentile way about it that provides you this simple moment of excellence in your life. That's a memory that people want to grab onto.
