AUTUMN ON
WASHINGTON
Walnut Kitchen & Foothills Milling Company
BY MATHAUS SCHWARZEN
As leaves turn and cool air hits the Maryville scene this fall, the traffic on South Washington Street will keep rolling. For many drivers, the conduit road is a means to a destination. But for those who know, it’ s where some of the city’ s best meals hide in plain sight.
You just have to look left.( Or right, if you’ re headed to the Smokies.)
Foothills Milling Company and The Walnut Kitchen are two giants in the Maryville food scene. For years, they’ ve made a habit of delivering hard-hitting fine dining and raking in great reviews. Sitting down at either restaurant means enjoying a carefully tailored experience with some of the finest ingredients around.
But for community pillars like these, autumn isn’ t just about decor. The cooler weather driving customers indoors can also drive menus, sourcing and strategy.
Built around the season
In the concrete sense, it’ s often a question of ingredients, Nick DiBartolomeo said. He’ s the founder and CEO of Launch Hospitality – the company that obtained The Walnut Kitchen earlier in 2024.
The menu boasts a“ reputation for blending traditional Southern dishes with more worldly offerings,” presenting steaks, fish and even duck for the tasting. The atmosphere
PHOTOS COURTESY OF MATHAUS SCHWARZEN Foothills Milling Co. on South Washington Street greets guests with a warm, carefully tailored environment.
12 | BLOUNT COUNTY QUARTERLY • FALL 2025
blends industrial concrete floors with brick, wood and an open kitchen along with plenty of natural light.
As a Blackberry Farm alum, DiBartolomeo knows a thing or two about what goes on a plate.
“ Proteins may not change as frequently, but sets, which are what come with your protein, are going to be very seasonal,” he said. From a corner table at The Walnut Kitchen’ s 606 High St. address, he explained the thought that goes into a dish.
“ We swap out seasonally what our sets are based on what we’ re getting off our farms,” he said. For example, cherry tomatoes recently harvested from Seven Deers Farm had already made their way to The Walnut Kitchen tables in the form of“ Southern bruschetta.” And by day, chefs were already experimenting with fried okra picked from the group’ s own farm the day before.
Farm to kitchen
That’ s an area DiBartolomeo wants to expand. The Walnut Kitchen partners with a variety of farms around the Blount County area, but it’ s recently begun sourcing ingredients from a farm run by DiBartolomeo’ s grandparents – Linda and Hop Tipton. The pair had been farming the land for around 30 years, he said, and the opportunity emerged to combine local yield with crop control.
Growing their own ingredients, DiBartolomeo said, lets the restaurant plan around menus, seasons and more. Even something as simple as The Walnut Kitchen’ s second-floor porch herb garden elevates the dining experience in a significant, meaningful way.
That means if you order a drink at The Walnut Kitchen, the garnish might have grown a few yards away. DiBartolomeo hopes to bring more of that same energy to the rest of the menu with the family farm.
Close to home
Step outside The Walnut Kitchen’ s doors and follow the smell of cooking up the block, and you’ ll find Foothills Milling Co. pondering the same concepts. How exactly does one work with the times, keep standards high and make the numbers work?
At another corner table, this time by the Foothills Milling bar, Tim Miles said the restaurant game is ever-changing. He wears many hats throughout the company, but he said he isn’ t into titles.
“ We’ re just getting it done,” he said.