Eat Local: How Smith & Lentz Supports Nashville Farmers One Slice at a Time
No one is an island. We all need community and support from others because we’re all connected. At Smith & Lentz, we put this idea into action every day through the valued partnerships we’ve established with local farmers and other experts supplying the high-quality foods and ingredients we rely on.
As an East Nashville restaurant committed to perfecting the art of exceptional food and beer, we’re proud to showcase the very best local ingredients Nashville and the surrounding region have to offer.
The Farmers Behind Our Incredible Menu
The farmers at Harpeth Moon Farm in Kingston Springs, TN, are foundational to our diverse and dynamic menu. This is where sustainable and USDA Certified organic vegetables and flowers are nurtured to perfection, and a philosophy rooted in community and in giving back to the earth prevails. By promoting pollinator habitat, rebuilding the soil, and practicing rigorous standards in organic farming, the seasonal crops at Harpeth Moon are simply exquisite.
We’re always inspired by what’s flourishing at Harpeth Moon Farm, whether we’re creating cool new feature items or preparing our signature pizzas. If you’ve eaten our kale caesar salad, you’ll understand why they make us feel that way.
Certified organic Bountiful Blessings Farm in Williamsport, TN, is another like-minded partner cultivating community and harvesting wholeness. In addition to a bounty of vegetables, microgreens, and gorgeous salad mixes, the farmers here grow a wide variety of specialty flowers and supply fresh eggs from hens with 24/7 access to green grass and sunshine. Their onsite bakery produces the most stunning gluten-free bread, made with superfoods like millet, flax, chia, and psyllium husk.
Other specialty growers of incredible vegetables and culinary herbs that we’ve come to rely on (heavily!) in and around Tennessee include:
Sweeter Days Farm in Ashland City, TN; farmers who place a strong focus on natural soil fertility and high-quality seed sourcing to produce row upon abundant row of brilliant, vibrant crops.
Sugar Camp Farm (also in Ashland City); a small family farm growing a variety of vegetables and herbs for local chefs and practicing the highest levels of earth care and giving back to the community.
The Farm & Fiddle in Santa Fe/Fly, TN; a family-owned farm using sustainable growing and harvesting methods to produce jaw-dropping French and Italian heirloom veggies, artisan pasta, house cheeses, and homemade preserves.
Rosson Orchard and Farm in Loretto, TN; producers of one of the widest varieties of juicy, sweet peaches you will ever see, along with an abundance of other fruits and beautiful seasonal vegetables.
Mary Oak Manor Dairy in Palmyra, TN; makers of USDA Grade A cheeses, ice cream, and a stunning goat cheese we order on the regular. They’re also home to homemade caramels, fudge, and goat milk soap!
JD Country Milk in Logan County, KY; a family-owned dairy farm specializing in all-natural milk you buy in glass jars for optimal freshness and taste. Their free-range cows are fed a vitamin-enriched diet including all the grass they can hoover up. The gates there are never closed, so the cows come and go between the farm and the pasture as they please. Happy cows mean better milk!
Carolina Ground; a boutique mill in Western North Carolina where all the flours they produce are stone-ground, cold-milled, unbleached, and unbromated. The farmers and millers of these local grains are committed to excellence and improving their own breads every day “from the ground up.” Want to know the secret behind our amazing sourdough pizza crust and garlic bread? It begins with stone ground goodness.
Lindley Mills, Inc., in central North Carolina; a specialty Certified Organic flour mill in operation since 1755. Blending the best of tradition, technology, and cutting-edge innovation, they are the creators of a unique and proprietary shelf-stable, sprouted whole grain flour with an amazingly well-rounded taste. This 10th-generation mill is committed to quality and passionate about its distinguished products, and it shows in all that we’re able to showcase, too.
Does Local Farm Flavor Make a Difference?
The moment you enter our restaurant, and especially when you walk past our open kitchen, you’ll smell the difference that locally sourced produce, cheeses, and freshly milled flour make. It’s a symphony of goodness that instantly warms the heart and soul.
It also has a pretty big impact on the eyes, with all that color, our chefs’ inspired pizza prowess, and the charcoal goodness. With all this sensory overload on deck, your stomach is in for a treat. If there’s one thing we hear again and again at Smith & Lentz, it’s that a couple of slices isn’t enough. You’ve just gotta dig in and polish off the entire pie. It’s like a reflex.
Time for Dessert!
We’d be unforgivably remiss if we didn’t tip our chef’s hats to Olive & Sinclair Chocolate in Nashville, producers of the finest small-batch artisan chocolate and caramel confections since 2007. This is the chocolate that takes the traditional chocolate chip cookie from its humble earthly beginnings and shoots it into the stratosphere. Long story short: you can’t just have one. Even two doesn’t cut it.
Our rich, delicious coffee beans are sourced from Crema Coffee Roasters, a zero-waste roaster and café establishment in the heart of Nashville, producing unfathomably complex coffee. Somehow, they know how to coax every beautiful nuance out of every delicate bean (which is why they’ve won so many awards). Looking for the perfect brew? It’s there, but it’s also here!
You Should Be Here, Too!
Come in for our fresh apps, plates, pizzas, desserts, and craft-brewed beer—and stay for the best vibe this side of Nashville. And if it’s one of those days where a super fine pizza at home is all you really need, order online for pickup.
