Our Farm to Table Chefs
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Raised in a small chocolate factory and café/catering business in rural Missouri, 𝐀𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐥 comes from a long line of small business entrepreneurs. She and her husband moved to Wilson County over 10 years ago, where she continued catering and making chocolates for friends and events. As demand grew, she opened The Black Sheep Café in The Mill at Lebanon—offering hand-dipped chocolates, coffee, loaded teas, dirty sodas, and breakfast or lunch. The café also features a wide variety of retail items from local small businesses, artists, and farms. Michael and April love Lebanon, enjoy supporting fellow entrepreneurs, and are proud to call it home!
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Shawn Smith was raised in Hendersonville but has made Lebanon home for over 2 decades. With over 28 years of jewelry experience, Shawn is a dedicated full-time jewelry store owner with a passion for crafting exquisite pieces that reflect both elegance and quality. Beyond the world of fine jewelry, Shawn is an avid cook, specializing in grilling and smoking meats. He has successfully competed in many culinary competitions. Shawns love for outdoor cooking has led to a lucrative side hustle, where he creates and sells his own line of barbecue sauces and spices under the Hushpiggies brand.
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Darlene is the heart and soul of Island Breeze Bistro, known for her flavorful meat & three and meat & two plates inspired by vibrant island flavors. She also serves fresh coffee, hearty breakfasts, and refreshing boba tea—making her bistro a true community favorite.
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Growing up in a large Italian family, Kelly learned early how food creates memories and brings people together. After years as an executive pastry chef in Tampa, she brought her passion for art and pastry to Lebanon, where she creates beautiful pastries, custom cakes, and more at Polly Sparrow Bakery. Polly Sparrow was named Best of Wilson county last year.
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Eric and Cassandra are bean-to-bar artisan chocolate makers crafting bars, bon bons, and desserts by hand right here in Lebanon. Their Lebanon café takes their creativity even further, incorporating chocolate into everything from sandwiches and flatbreads to salads and rotating specials.
Event Farms
Seven Cedars Butcher Block is a family-owned butcher shop offering fresh meats, baked goods, eggs, milk, and vegetables. Known for quality and care, Seven Cedars helps bring wholesome, local food to the table and supports the community it serves.
A Century Farm dedicated to regenerative agriculture, Denney Century Farms focuses on healing the soil so the land can continue to feed and sustain the community for generations to come.
Perry Family Farm is a flower farm that embodies the belief that where flowers bloom, hope grows. It serves as a gathering place for the community, hosting purposeful events that create beauty, foster connection, and give back.
A fourth-generation farm in Gladeville, Evans Produce & Meats raises a wide variety of vegetables along with beef and pork. Their products are sold at farmers markets across Middle Tennessee, offering families the opportunity to know their farmer and enjoy fresh, local food year-round.
A Mt. Juliet favorite since 1974, Breeden’s Orchard was reimagined in 2017 and continues today as a female-owned orchard, store, and bakery. From Tennessee peaches to crisp apples and homemade baked goods, Breeden’s carries on the tradition of sharing farm-fresh flavor.
Founded in 1897, Huddleston Century Farm has been continually farmed for 128 years and is currently home to the 4th, 5th, and 6th generations of direct descendants. They hope their contributions of sweet potatoes and their newest venture, maple syrup, sweeten your dining experience!
Servant Farms is a Watertown farm committed to natural farming practices and providing wholesome produce and pasture-raised poultry. Their seasonal crops reflect a faith-based approach to caring for the land and community.
Since 1998, Kenny’s Farmhouse Cheese has crafted more than 25 varieties of farmstead cheese. Guided by a love of dairying and a commitment to quality, the farm continues to bring people together with cheese made with care from their herd.
Lovers Lane Farmstand is a family-run farmstand in Lebanon offering fresh, seasonal produce, eggs, baked goods, jams, salsa, and more. Their honor-system farmstand reflects a commitment to growing good food and sharing it with their neighbors.
Shop Springs Creamery is a fourth-generation dairy farm between Lebanon and Watertown. The creamery bottles milk from their own cows and produces homemade butter and small-batch ice cream, continuing Wilson County’s tradition of local dairy farming.
Event Sponsors
About Historic Lebanon Main Street
Historic Lebanon’s Mission is to preserve, enrich, and promote our historic downtown as the vibrant heart of our community. We are a non-profit organization and a certified Tennessee Main Street program. We also receive annual accreditation from the National Main Street Center. Historic Lebanon uses the 4-point Main Street approach of Design/Historic Preservation, Economic Vitality, Promotion and Organization to achieve our goals.
Our Main Street District
Historic Lebanon’s Main Street District includes the Lebanon Public Square and the areas surrounding it - from The Mill to Picketts Chapel, on up to the Veterans Museum on E. Main Street and down to the Fite-Fessenden House and over to Cumberland University’s campus. Our Main Street District is alive with retail shops, restaurants, cultural attractions and professional services. A real advantage of Main Street communities is the program’s strength in achieving economic vitality. Studies show for every one dollar invested in a historic downtown, there is a thirty-six-dollar return. This return on investment (ROI) is achieved by using the four points of the Main Street program, Design, Organization, Promotion and Economic Vitality to present our District is its best light. These four elements come together to create positive economic progress for the community.