Will Knox Mason restaurant leave a legacy in downtown Knoxville? – Knoxville News Sentinel
With Knox Mason preparing for its final day in business July 2, chef Matt Gallaher is planning to regroup and take it easy – a strategy he might have picked up while cooking for The Eagles.
The downtown Knoxville chef wasn’t always a restaurant owner. Trained at nationally acclaimed East Tennessee resort Blackberry Farm, Gallaher brought his skills to the music industry as a fledgling chef, catering meals for rock legends like Neil Young and country stars like Tim McGraw.
He eventually became the personal tour chef for Kings of Leon before transitioning to the governor’s mansion, where he became the private chef for Bill Haslam. And it was during the latter stint that Gallaher returned to his farm-to-table roots, which carried over to the opening of Knox Mason on the 100 block of Gay Street roughly 10 years ago.
In 2019, the restaurant moved a few blocks south to the new Embassy Suites on Gay Street. Less than six months later: COVID-19. Now, with just more than a week left in business, Gallaher is preparing for a new chapter in his life – one that’s leaving Knox Mason behind.
On this week’s episode of “The Scruffy Stuff” podcast, Gallaher joins to discuss the challenges COVID-19 caused for Knox Mason and how he plans to move forward.
Hear all about life as a chef on tour, the impact Blackberry Farm has on the downtown dining scene and whether Knox Mason will be remembered as a legacy restaurant in Knoxville
Just search for “The Scruffy Stuff” on Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. You also can listen in the podcast player, below!
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Weekly episodes answer your burning questions about downtown Knoxville and cover a variety of topics, from business to lifestyle trends in the city’s core — basically, anything and everything under the Sunsphere.
Episodes are released each Monday by downtown reporter and host Ryan Wilusz, along with visual journalist and producer Calvin Mattheis.
Growth and development editor Brenna McDermott is a frequent guest, along with other newsroom staff members whose specialties range from the University of Tennessee to local politics.
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