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Knoxville is home.

We are deeply honored to be included in the inaugural @michelinguide for the American South.

For Chef Joseph Lenn, who was born and raised here, the dream was always to open a restaurant in his hometown, to cook for this community, and to celebrate the ingredients of East Tennessee. His culinary journey through Charleston, Nashville, and Walland eventually led him back home to do just that.

Endless gratitude to our incredible team for your heart, hustle, and dedication every single day. To our farmers and purveyors who keep us inspired, and to our guests who fill our dining room with warmth and support, thank you.

Congratulations to our neighbors @potchke and @rtlodge on your well-deserved recognition.

Knoxville, this one is for you. 💛

Knoxville is home.

We are deeply honored to be included in the inaugural @michelinguide for the American South.

For Chef Joseph Lenn, who was born and raised here, the dream was always to open a restaurant in his hometown, to cook for this community, and to celebrate the ingredients of East Tennessee. His culinary journey through Charleston, Nashville, and Walland eventually led him back home to do just that.

Endless gratitude to our incredible team for your heart, hustle, and dedication every single day. To our farmers and purveyors who keep us inspired, and to our guests who fill our dining room with warmth and support, thank you.

Congratulations to our neighbors @potchke and @rtlodge on your well-deserved recognition.

Knoxville, this one is for you. 💛

Knoxville is home.

We are deeply honored to be included in the inaugural @michelinguide for the American South.

For Chef Joseph Lenn, who was born and raised here, the dream was always to open a restaurant in his hometown, to cook for this community, and to celebrate the ingredients of East Tennessee. His culinary journey through Charleston, Nashville, and Walland eventually led him back home to do just that.

Endless gratitude to our incredible team for your heart, hustle, and dedication every single day. To our farmers and purveyors who keep us inspired, and to our guests who fill our dining room with warmth and support, thank you.

Congratulations to our neighbors @potchke and @rtlodge on your well-deserved recognition.

Knoxville, this one is for you. 💛

What a way to turn nine! 🎈

Some kids get a bike. Some get a party. We landed a spot on The New York Times 2025 Restaurant List, naming us one of the 50 best restaurants in America.

Feeling honored is an understatement. To hit this milestone as we celebrate our 9th anniversary is surreal. It’s a testament to our team’s passion, the dedication of local farmers and purveyors, and the support of guests from the beginning and those discovering us for the first time. THANK YOU.

Happy Birthday to us, and cheers to you all for being the heart of our story 🥂

#JCHoldway #JosephLenn #WoodFiredSouthernCuisine
#NYTRestaurantList #BestRestaurants2025 #JamesBeardAward
#KnoxvilleEats #KnoxvilleRestaurants #LoveDowntownKnox #KnoxRocks

What a way to turn nine! 🎈

Some kids get a bike. Some get a party. We landed a spot on The New York Times 2025 Restaurant List, naming us one of the 50 best restaurants in America.

Feeling honored is an understatement. To hit this milestone as we celebrate our 9th anniversary is surreal. It’s a testament to our team’s passion, the dedication of local farmers and purveyors, and the support of guests from the beginning and those discovering us for the first time. THANK YOU.

Happy Birthday to us, and cheers to you all for being the heart of our story 🥂

#JCHoldway #JosephLenn #WoodFiredSouthernCuisine
#NYTRestaurantList #BestRestaurants2025 #JamesBeardAward
#KnoxvilleEats #KnoxvilleRestaurants #LoveDowntownKnox #KnoxRocks

What a way to turn nine! 🎈

Some kids get a bike. Some get a party. We landed a spot on The New York Times 2025 Restaurant List, naming us one of the 50 best restaurants in America.

Feeling honored is an understatement. To hit this milestone as we celebrate our 9th anniversary is surreal. It’s a testament to our team’s passion, the dedication of local farmers and purveyors, and the support of guests from the beginning and those discovering us for the first time. THANK YOU.

Happy Birthday to us, and cheers to you all for being the heart of our story 🥂

#JCHoldway #JosephLenn #WoodFiredSouthernCuisine
#NYTRestaurantList #BestRestaurants2025 #JamesBeardAward
#KnoxvilleEats #KnoxvilleRestaurants #LoveDowntownKnox #KnoxRocks

What a way to turn nine! 🎈

Some kids get a bike. Some get a party. We landed a spot on The New York Times 2025 Restaurant List, naming us one of the 50 best restaurants in America.

Feeling honored is an understatement. To hit this milestone as we celebrate our 9th anniversary is surreal. It’s a testament to our team’s passion, the dedication of local farmers and purveyors, and the support of guests from the beginning and those discovering us for the first time. THANK YOU.

Happy Birthday to us, and cheers to you all for being the heart of our story 🥂

#JCHoldway #JosephLenn #WoodFiredSouthernCuisine
#NYTRestaurantList #BestRestaurants2025 #JamesBeardAward
#KnoxvilleEats #KnoxvilleRestaurants #LoveDowntownKnox #KnoxRocks

Honored to be featured in the @nytimes today! #knoxrocks #jcholdway #knoxvillefood

One of Chef Lenn’s favorite signs of spring has always been peas. Each year, he looks forward to bringing this salad back. This season, peas from Chef’s Harvest Farm brought the dish back into focus and reminded him why it has stayed with him for so long.

This salad started 17 years ago while Chef Lenn was working at Blackberry Farm. The cheesemaker there was making a fresh sheep’s milk cheese called brebis, and Chef Lenn wanted to create a dish that played on peas and ricotta. The first version was simple: peas, mint, preserved lemon, shaved radish, and fresh cheese.

Over the years, the salad has evolved. Chef Lenn has charred peas over the fire, used burrata, added Benton’s country ham, and continued to refine it with each season. At its core, though, it is still the same salad he created all those years ago.

Ingredients may change, but the roots of a dish matter. This one has been part of Chef Lenn’s spring story for 17 years.

thoughtfully crafted. rooted in season. southern at heart.

#jcholdway #lovedowntownknox #knoxrocks #jamesbeard

To the class of 2026 🍊

Our dining room is fully committed for UT Graduation Weekend (Thursday–Saturday), but our bar will be open nightly for walk-ins and serving our full à la carte dinner menu.

If you are celebrating downtown and hoping to stop by, bar seating is first come, first served beginning at 5:00 PM each evening.

Also pictured: Georgie, one of our lead hosts, graduating from UT after almost 3 years with our team at J.C. Holdway. We are incredibly proud of her and excited to celebrate alongside several other members of our team graduating this weekend as well, including Connor, Avery, and Grace 🧡

Congratulations to the class of 2026

#jcholdway #knoxrocks #lovedowntownknox #UTGrad #UTK Vols RockyTop

To the class of 2026 🍊

Our dining room is fully committed for UT Graduation Weekend (Thursday–Saturday), but our bar will be open nightly for walk-ins and serving our full à la carte dinner menu.

If you are celebrating downtown and hoping to stop by, bar seating is first come, first served beginning at 5:00 PM each evening.

Also pictured: Georgie, one of our lead hosts, graduating from UT after almost 3 years with our team at J.C. Holdway. We are incredibly proud of her and excited to celebrate alongside several other members of our team graduating this weekend as well, including Connor, Avery, and Grace 🧡

Congratulations to the class of 2026

#jcholdway #knoxrocks #lovedowntownknox #UTGrad #UTK Vols RockyTop

Happy Mother’s Day from J.C. Holdway 🤍

Before the restaurant, before the wood fire, and long before Chef Joseph Lenn ever cooked professionally, he learned to cook beside his mother, Emily, in her kitchen here in East Tennessee.

🏡 Joseph was born and raised in Knoxville, and Emily is a fourth-generation Tennesseean who spent her career as an elementary school math teacher and later principal. At home, though, she was teaching something entirely different — how food can bring people together and make people feel cared for.

🍳 One of the recipes Joseph remembers most is her hoe cakes. Years ago, Emily would make hoe cakes with the children in her classroom and share them together afterward. It became one of the many recipes and traditions she passed down to Joseph growing up, alongside a love for Southern cooking rooted in family, generosity, and gathering around the table.

🌽 The second photo is Joseph’s version of those hoe cakes with trout roe — a dish he has continued refining for nearly 25 years. While the presentation and technique have evolved over time, the heart of it still traces back to Emily’s kitchen and generations of Tennessee cooking before it.

Today we are thinking about the mothers and grandmothers who taught us our first recipes, fed our families, welcomed people into their homes, and shaped the way we gather around food.

Happy Mother’s Day to all of them 🧡

#jcholdway #lovedowntownknox #knoxrocks #MothersDay #JamesBeard

Happy Mother’s Day from J.C. Holdway 🤍

Before the restaurant, before the wood fire, and long before Chef Joseph Lenn ever cooked professionally, he learned to cook beside his mother, Emily, in her kitchen here in East Tennessee.

🏡 Joseph was born and raised in Knoxville, and Emily is a fourth-generation Tennesseean who spent her career as an elementary school math teacher and later principal. At home, though, she was teaching something entirely different — how food can bring people together and make people feel cared for.

🍳 One of the recipes Joseph remembers most is her hoe cakes. Years ago, Emily would make hoe cakes with the children in her classroom and share them together afterward. It became one of the many recipes and traditions she passed down to Joseph growing up, alongside a love for Southern cooking rooted in family, generosity, and gathering around the table.

🌽 The second photo is Joseph’s version of those hoe cakes with trout roe — a dish he has continued refining for nearly 25 years. While the presentation and technique have evolved over time, the heart of it still traces back to Emily’s kitchen and generations of Tennessee cooking before it.

Today we are thinking about the mothers and grandmothers who taught us our first recipes, fed our families, welcomed people into their homes, and shaped the way we gather around food.

Happy Mother’s Day to all of them 🧡

#jcholdway #lovedowntownknox #knoxrocks #MothersDay #JamesBeard

Fully booked. Fully poured.

Tonight, we host the Clos Solène Wine Dinner, an intimate, ticketed experience featuring a five-course menu by Chef Joseph Lenn paired with wines from Clos Solène.

Guillaume Fabre, owner and winemaker of the Paso Robles estate, will present each wine throughout the evening and share the story behind the winery and its Rhône-inspired approach.

Our dining room, bar, and patio will be closed to the public for the evening.

We will reopen for regular dinner service tomorrow.

Interested in future events? Join our email list to stay informed.

#jcholdway #knoxrocks #lovedowntown

Every spring, Chef Lenn steps away from the kitchen and into the forest with his team for one of the most meaningful days of the year, our annual Ramp Hunt.

What began as a lesson passed down from Allan Benton has become something more over time. It is now a day centered on mentorship, connection, and building the kind of team that defines who we are.

The hike in is long, the terrain is not easy, and the work is shared. Together, the team forages wild ramps, learning not just how to harvest them, but how to do so responsibly. Each bulb is treated with care, with roots replanted to preserve the land for years to come.

By the river, the work turns into something celebratory. Ramps are cleaned, a fire is built, and a simple meal comes together with potatoes, ramps, and Benton’s Bacon cooked over open flame.

These are the days that shape our kitchen. The trust built on the trail carries into the line. The respect for ingredients carries onto every plate.

Ramps will be featured on the menu this week.

🍳 Le Creuset Cookware
🐖 Benton’s Bacon

#jcholdway #lovedowntownknox #knoxrocks #rampseason #appalachiancuisine

Every spring, Chef Lenn steps away from the kitchen and into the forest with his team for one of the most meaningful days of the year, our annual Ramp Hunt.

What began as a lesson passed down from Allan Benton has become something more over time. It is now a day centered on mentorship, connection, and building the kind of team that defines who we are.

The hike in is long, the terrain is not easy, and the work is shared. Together, the team forages wild ramps, learning not just how to harvest them, but how to do so responsibly. Each bulb is treated with care, with roots replanted to preserve the land for years to come.

By the river, the work turns into something celebratory. Ramps are cleaned, a fire is built, and a simple meal comes together with potatoes, ramps, and Benton’s Bacon cooked over open flame.

These are the days that shape our kitchen. The trust built on the trail carries into the line. The respect for ingredients carries onto every plate.

Ramps will be featured on the menu this week.

🍳 Le Creuset Cookware
🐖 Benton’s Bacon

#jcholdway #lovedowntownknox #knoxrocks #rampseason #appalachiancuisine

Every spring, Chef Lenn steps away from the kitchen and into the forest with his team for one of the most meaningful days of the year, our annual Ramp Hunt.

What began as a lesson passed down from Allan Benton has become something more over time. It is now a day centered on mentorship, connection, and building the kind of team that defines who we are.

The hike in is long, the terrain is not easy, and the work is shared. Together, the team forages wild ramps, learning not just how to harvest them, but how to do so responsibly. Each bulb is treated with care, with roots replanted to preserve the land for years to come.

By the river, the work turns into something celebratory. Ramps are cleaned, a fire is built, and a simple meal comes together with potatoes, ramps, and Benton’s Bacon cooked over open flame.

These are the days that shape our kitchen. The trust built on the trail carries into the line. The respect for ingredients carries onto every plate.

Ramps will be featured on the menu this week.

🍳 Le Creuset Cookware
🐖 Benton’s Bacon

#jcholdway #lovedowntownknox #knoxrocks #rampseason #appalachiancuisine

Every spring, Chef Lenn steps away from the kitchen and into the forest with his team for one of the most meaningful days of the year, our annual Ramp Hunt.

What began as a lesson passed down from Allan Benton has become something more over time. It is now a day centered on mentorship, connection, and building the kind of team that defines who we are.

The hike in is long, the terrain is not easy, and the work is shared. Together, the team forages wild ramps, learning not just how to harvest them, but how to do so responsibly. Each bulb is treated with care, with roots replanted to preserve the land for years to come.

By the river, the work turns into something celebratory. Ramps are cleaned, a fire is built, and a simple meal comes together with potatoes, ramps, and Benton’s Bacon cooked over open flame.

These are the days that shape our kitchen. The trust built on the trail carries into the line. The respect for ingredients carries onto every plate.

Ramps will be featured on the menu this week.

🍳 Le Creuset Cookware
🐖 Benton’s Bacon

#jcholdway #lovedowntownknox #knoxrocks #rampseason #appalachiancuisine

Tonight, J.C. Holdway is closed for a private event.

We are hosting the Spottswoode Wine Dinner with Beth Novak, an intimate, ticketed experience featuring a five-course menu by Chef Joseph Lenn paired with wines from Spottswoode Estate Vineyard & Winery.

Beth Novak, President and CEO of Spottswoode Estate and a second-generation steward of one of Napa Valley’s most historic wineries, will personally present each wine and share the story behind the estate’s celebrated vineyard and winemaking.

This event is fully reserved. Our dining room, bar, and patio will be closed to the public for the evening.

We will reopen for regular dinner service tomorrow, Thursday, April 9.

Interested in future wine events? Join our email list or visit our website and click “Wine Events” to stay informed.

Just a warning: if you let DJ BBQ into your kitchen, he may never leave.
Get LOST IN Knoxville, TN this weekend on your local stations, or anytime on YouTube and select streaming services.
#DJBBQ #LOSTINwithDJBBQ #Knoxville #Tennessee #JCHoldway

Surprise! We will be open for dinner service on Sunday, March 29.

🎵Join us from Big Ears or a night off from cooking. We will close on Tuesday, March 31, to give our employees time to reset.

Book on Resy. Our menu is updated daily and posted online.

#jcholdway #knoxrocks #lovedowntownknox #jamesbeardaward #nytrestaurantlist

We are proud to welcome Chef Sarah Steffan to the kitchen at J.C. Holdway.

Sarah and Joseph first worked together years ago at Blackberry Farm, where Joseph promoted her to sous chef. During that time, she worked alongside him in the kitchen when he received the James Beard Award for Best Chef Southeast. Their shared foundation in thoughtful, ingredient-driven cooking makes this reunion especially meaningful.

Sarah’s connection to cooking began early, shaped by a childhood spent close to the land and the kitchen. Those formative experiences fostered a lasting appreciation for seasonal ingredients and the traditions that surround them.

Her professional path has taken her through some of the country’s most respected kitchens. Before joining Blackberry Farm, Sarah trained in Relais & Châteaux properties including The Point, Fearrington House, and Lake Placid Lodge. She is a graduate of Paul Smith’s College in New York and furthered her culinary studies abroad at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris.

Over more than a decade at Blackberry Farm, Sarah held nearly every role in the kitchen, from line cook to pastry chef to sous chef. She later became Executive Chef and opened The Dogwood for dinner service in 2015. Most recently, she served as Executive Chef of Bramble Hall, leading one of the Farm’s newest private dining experiences.

Throughout her career, Sarah has remained dedicated to cooking with fresh, local, and sustainable ingredients. Her cuisine reflects a deep respect for seasonality and the region, creating dishes that are both refined and rooted in place. Equally important is her leadership in the kitchen, where she is known for encouraging her team’s creativity and cultivating a collaborative culinary environment.

We are proud to welcome Sarah during Women’s History Month and to celebrate the remarkable women leading kitchens across our industry.