To Dine For with Kate Sullivan

[Kate Sullivan] It is a beautiful day in Nashville, Tennessee and I'm about to meet a dreamer and visionary: Fawn Weaver.

[Kate] Aww, you're a hugger!

[Fawn Weaver] Yeah, absolutely!

[Kate] A woman whose curiosity and thirst for knowledge set her down a path she could never have expected.

[Kate] It was a lost story for 40 years.

[Fawn Weaver] Mm-hmm.

2 generations.

[Kate] To resurrect the memory of a man many never knew whose talent and friendship was just a footnote in history.

[Kate] I just got chills, I never get chills.

That's incredible.

[Fawn] I get chills every time I walk down that corridor.

[Kate] Today, Fawn is taking me to her favorite restaurant to see and experience a bird's eye view of the music city.

[Fawn] Did you see how tender this cut was?

[Kate] Wow, that is great.

[Fawn] I will put this- their Australian Wagyu up against everybody.

[Kate] Delish.

[Kate] She shares the full story of how she created a brand-new business and found her passion and purpose after a little investigative journalism.

[Fawn] I know who I am, and I don't back down and so I just sort of- I see the path, I look for the lit paths and I walk on them.

KATE: What's better in life than a bottle of wine, great food and an amazing conversation?

My name is Kate Sullivan and I am the host of To Dine For .

I'm a journalist, a foodie, a traveler, with an appetite for the stories of people who are hungry for more.

Dreamers.

Visionaries.

Artists.

Those who hustle hard in the direction they love.

I travel with them to their favorite restaurant, to hear how they did it.

This show is a toast to them and their American dream.

To Dine For with Kate Sullivan is made possible by... [Announcer] There are people in your life who count on you for what matters most.

American National agents are close to home and committed to our communities.

They'll help you find the right coverage for you, your family, even your farm and business.

You can learn more at americannational.com.

[Kate] Hi everyone.

Today I'm in Nashville, Tennessee on my way into a restaurant called Bourbon Steak by Michael Mina.

It is 34 floors above Nashville.

I'm meeting a visionary, a trailblazer, and a true entrepreneurial spirit.

Her name is Fawn Weaver and I can't wait for you to meet her.

[Kate] Hi Fawn!

How are you?

[Fawn] Hello!

How are you?

How are you doing?

[Kate] It's so nice to meet you!

[Fawn] It's so good to see you!

[Kate] Aw, you're a hugger!

[Fawn] Yeah absolutely!

[Kate] I love it.

[Fawn] That is- that's how we welcome in Tennessee [laughs].

[Kate] Thank you...thank you for doing this!

What a beautiful restaurant!

[Fawn] Absolutely!

It's beautiful, right?

[Kate] It's gorgeous!

[Kate] Behold the beauty and ambience of Nashville's Bourbon Steak, a premiere steakhouse by Michelin starred celebrity chef, Michael Mina.

Boasting breathtaking views, 34 floors above the heart of Nashville.

[Quentin Welch] So, it's a really lively atmosphere, actually, for a steakhouse.

Obviously, the view is a, uh, really big part of that.

A really exciting city and it's a lot of fun.

[Kate] It is a luxury destination where effortless charm and contemporary elegance share an easy embrace.

[Quentin] I want people to forget about their day-to-day life and just enjoy the night with their friends or family.

[Kate] From the design featuring a bourbon-inspired color palette, to the special tableside cocktail service, to the astonishing wine list with more than 500 selections, Executive Chef, Quentin Welch and her staff serve up a timeless memory making meal.

For our meal today, we start with a trio of duck fat fries, featuring three different spice and sauce pairings: white cheddar fries with nacho sauce, truffle parmesan with lemon aioli, and dill pickle fries with bourbon barbecue sauce.

Followed by an irresistible appetizer called "Instant Bacon."

Bourbon soy glazed pork belly over shredded brussel sprouts topped with a tempura oyster, all smoked to perfection.

[Waiter] All hickory smoke.

[Kate] Oh my gosh, it's magic.

Some Nashville magic.

[Kate] And then, a show-stopping entre of Australian Wagyu steak, with a side of potato pure and creamed spinach.

[Kate] Cheers to you!

[Fawn] Cheers!

[Kate] This is wonderful.

[Fawn] Thank you for having me.

[Kate] It is the perfect place to sit down with Fawn Weaver, serial entrepreneur and visionary, to hear the full story of how she followed her ferocious curiosity all the way from Los Angeles to Lynchburg, Tennessee, and uncovered the true significance of a skilled whiskey distiller and slave named Nearest Green and how she worked tirelessly to secure his legend in American history.

Ultimately, building a powerful, fast-growing brand one small batch at a time.

[Kate] First of all, thank you for bringing me to this gorgeous restaurant.

It's stunning!

[Fawn] Thank you for having me at this gorgeous restaurant.

It is absolutely one of the best in Nashville and you shut it down, which is pretty amazing!

I don't think I've ever seen this before.

[Kate] Of all the restaurants, why did you choose this one and what about this restaurant is so special to you?

[Fawn] You're sitting up at the top and you see the view, there's no place with a view like this in all of Nashville, and then they have the best steak.

So, you kinda put those two together, and it's pretty impossible to get in but I know some people [laughs].

[Kate] You know some people?

[Kate] Oh hello!

[Fawn] Hello!

Oh what are you pouring?

WAITER: Start off with some beverages.

Some Pinot Noir.

[Kate] Oh, thank you!

[Fawn] Ahh, and I'm having an Old Fashioned.

[Kate] Yes!

[Fawn] So I was like, "Are you pouring me wine?

I don't know about that."

[Waiter] No, of course, Uncle Nearest's Old Fashioned to get you started.

[In unison] Thank you!

[Kate] Cheers to you.

[Fawn] Cheers.

[Kate] This is wonderful.

[Fawn] Thank you for having me.

[Kate] I am so fascinated by your story.

Did you ever think that you would be in the world of whiskey?

[Fawn] No!

I'm a child of two teetotalers!

[Kate] Fawn grew up in Pasadena, California.

The daughter of legendary Motown producer, Frank Wilson, who penned and produced hits with some of Motown's biggest acts, including Diana Ross and The Supremes, and The Temptations.

In 1976, the year that Fawn was born, her father left the music industry to join the ministry, becoming a leader in the Baptist church alongside Fawn's mother.

[Kate] Amazing.

[Both] Thank you.

[Fawn] So you caught there's three different fries with three different dips that go with each fry.

[Kate] I'll be taking- I'll be taking one of these, thank you very much.

[Fawn laughs] [Kate] Take me back to being a child in Pasadena, California.

What were some of the unwritten rules of your family and growing up with your mom and dad, and what did they teach you that has kind of stuck with you today?

[Fawn] Yeah, you know, my household was very interesting because my father was this big Motown producer- [Kate] Mm-hmm.

[Fawn] Who decided not to re-sign a contract so if you can kind of imagine this, he's the person where on the weekends his house is all glass, sits at the top of Hollywood Hills, you've got all these celebrities, all these Motown artists, like his house is the party house, it's the entertainment house.

And the year that my mother was pregnant with me, my father really felt a calling from God and so he decided not to re-sign with Berry Gordy, and Motown, for another contract.

He didn't exactly plan for the- [Kate] What was next?

[Fawn] What was next, and so things began to just sort of unravel.

[Kate] Wow.

[Fawn] And because he was who he was and because at least he had, you know, this income for a time being, he was able to buy a really beautiful home in Pasadena, uh, but didn't really have money to furnish it or to do that kind of stuff inside of it.

[Kate] And how old were you at this time when he made this decision?

[Fawn] In my mother's stomach.

[Kate] Wow.

[Fawn] And so I am birthed into transition.

[Kate] Yes.

[Fawn] Which may explain why I'm so comfortable with transition, like I can move from one thing to another very quickly and just not have any issues with it.

I was literally born into a time of transition.

[Kate] In a stressful time not only for your father, but also for your mother.

[Fawn] Mmm-hmm.

[Fawn] Ooo, okay what is going on here?

You see I keep dropping dip everywhere?

[Kate] Are you taking our fries away?

[Waiter] No, no of course not.

[Kate laughs] I would never.

Might bite my finger off.

[Kate laughs] [Fawn] Mmm.

WAITER: Alright, so this is our Instant Bacon.

[Kate] Instant Bacon.

[Fawn] It's so good.

[Waiter] Pork belly made nice and crispy with a bourbon soy glaze and it's instant bacon which means we smoke it tableside with a little hickory smoke... [Kate] Oh my gosh.

Some magic.

Some Nashville magic.

[Kate] When did your dad, when he made the decision, what did he end up doing?

[Fawn] They were made leaders in the church right away, but they didn't actually know the Word, so that means people were sharing with them their version of this really strict religious, it was nuts.

It was absolutely nuts.

We couldn't wear pants.

[Kate] You couldn't wear pants?

[Fawn] No, because their pastor had interpreted a scripture in the Bible that said men are not to wear anything pertaining to women and women aren't to wear anything pertaining anything to men, as to say women cannot wear pants.

So imagine I'm a girl and growing up, I was considered the black sheep, the rebellious child.

Because I just- if I didn't understand it, I questioned it.

And if you couldn't explain it and back it up, I wanted like in-text citations [laughs].

If you couldn't back it up, I didn't have an interest in your opinion and that was a pretty major challenge for a parent, who were ascending in the Christian community and leadership.

[Kate] Yeah.

[Fawn] And you have this child that absolutely will not just do it because you said it.

[Kate] Right.

[Fawn] Who requires you to explain why.

[Kate] Right, you were- you were someone who was sort of destined to pave their own way.

[Fawn] I was then who I am now.

[Kate] Mmm, I was then who I am now.

That's very powerful.

[Fawn] Mm-hmm.

[Kate] And who is that?

[Fawn] I know who I am.

[Kate] Hm.

[Fawn] And I don't back down.

I look for the lit paths and I walk on them.

[Kate] And is that from a sense of faith or is that from a sense of intuition?

[Fawn] It's the faith that gives the intuition.

[Kate] Fawn left home at 15, finishing high school but forgoing college.

At just 18 years old, she launched her first company.

A special events and PR firm called "Few Entertainment."

She then worked as an executive in real estate, restaurant and hotel, lifestyle brands.

Then, in 2010, she started a blog that turned into her first book, "Happy Wives Club."

One woman's world-wide search for the secrets of a great marriage which became a New York Times' Bestseller.

Another book would follow.

Then in 2016, on the hunt for a new opportunity, she read an article that drew every ounce of her attention to Lynchburg, Tennessee.

[Kate] What brought you to Tennessee and how did you come to even hear the story of Nearest Green?

[Fawn] Yeah, I was in Singapore and on the cover of the New York Times International Edition, was a story written by Clay Risen an incredible journalist, who ironically is from Nashville, and he wrote this story and the headline was, "Jack Daniel Embraces a Secret Ingredient Helped from a Slave."

[Kate] The article explains that the Jack Daniel's distillery, the ubiquitous worldwide brand, was marking its 150th anniversary by clarifying its origin story.

It has been told that in the 1850's, a white preacher, named Dan Cull, who owned a distillery employed young Jack Daniel and taught him all he knew about making whiskey.

But, as the article shares, well-known and widely accepted local and Jack Daniel's company lore maintains that it was not Dan Cull, but likely Dan Cull's slave.

A skilled distiller named Nearest Green who taught young Jack the distinct distilling know how, a particular process with roots in West Africa that laid the groundwork for the Jack Daniel's brand.

[Fawn] My husband is sitting right in front of me, I've got this newspaper open, front-page, and I'm looking at this and it has this photo of Jack Daniel.

And you see to his right of him, a Black man.

But it wasn't just that there was a Black man to the right of him, it was that this was his management team, his leadership team, and he had seated the center position to the Black man.

Jack Daniel was off center by quite a bit.

Dead-center was George Green, the son of Nearest Green.

And it was the first time in my forty years of living that I have ever seen an American brand, like, a huge American brand that I was familiar with, that they were now tracing back to an African American being there at the beginning.

And so, it was just wildly fascinating to me.

[Kate] Ohh the steak.

[Fawn] I'm so sad.

Hold on, I have to at least take this piece.

[Waiter] So, these are our Australian Wagyu filet mignons with a little bit of potato puree on the side there.

[Fawn] They've made this very pretty for us.

[Kate] It's gorgeous.

[Fawn] Did you see how tender this cut was?

[Kate] Wow.

That is great.

[Fawn] And I've been to steakhouses all over the world.

[Kate] Yes.

[Fawn] I would put this, their Australian Wagyu up against everybody.

[Kate] Delish.

-Everybody.

[Kate] So, you're sitting in Singapore, right?

And here you are with the New York Times looking at this picture of not only Jack Daniel but this African American man who has played such a pivotal role... in his fate.

[Fawn] Yeah.

[Kate] And you're intrigued.

[Fawn] I am intrigued.

And I begin diving into this story to figure out, well it's not possible that there's an African American this pivotal in this industry that is, you know, one of America's top industries, top exports.

And there's no way that this African American can be here at the beginning and it not be written about somewhere, that it not be... And so I began looking and there was really nothing; and then kind of just kept digging, kept looking, kept searching to see what else is out there.

[Kate] So, at that moment, you didn't know whether this could be a book, whether this could be a movie, you certainly at that point probably didn't think its own whiskey.

But you knew it could be something.

[Fawn] So, if you think about 2016, when this story came out, I had never seen the country so divided.

Not just politically but from a race aspect.

[Kate] Yes.

[Fawn] And both political parties were using race as a wedge- [Kate] Yes.

[Fawn] And I'm looking at this and going hmm, I like this story because I think this story between this Black man and this white orphan, was actually one of love, honor, and respect.

That's what my gut told me.

[Kate] With a keen investor's eye, and deeply yearning to learn more, Fawn flew to Tennessee, her quest for understanding led her to the very farm in Lynchburg, originally owned by Dan Cull; where young Jack Daniel first worked alongside then slave Nearest Green.

With an initial interest in restoring the farm as a real estate investment, Fawn and her husband purchased the property and moved into the farmhouse where Fawn continued to immerse herself in the story of Nearest Green.

She spent months combing through records and conducting interviews, sitting on porches, meeting in churches, listening to the stories of over 100 descendants of both Jack Daniel and Nearest Green.

She learned that Nearest Green not only taught Jack Daniel how to distill whiskey but was also employed by Jack Daniel after the Civil War, making him the first Black master distiller on record in American history.

And that in this small town of Lynchburg, the descendants of these two men would follow their lead, working together and playing together for generations to come.

[Fawn] I talked to one of, everyone's favorite fourth grade teacher is a woman by the name of Ms.

Dot.

[Kate] Mm-hmm.

[Fawn] And I sat in her home and right across from her is kind of like this creek.

And I said, "Ms.

Dot, what was integration like in Lynchburg?"

And she sat there for a minute and she had- she had taught for well over forty years.

And she said "Hmm, I guess it was a non-issue."

FAWN: That-that's what I did!

That eye up kind of "How is that possible?"

And so what do you mean it was a "non-issue?"

And she said "Well, the kids were playing together before school, after school, and on the weekends so for them now they got to play together during school."

So, they were just really excited to now be able to all be together and- [Kate] So, this isn't a story of animosity.

[Fawn] No!

[Kate] This is a story as you said of love, respect- [Fawn] Honor.

[Kate] -and honor.

[Fawn] Yeah and it literally just kept passing down through the generation, and they didn't even realize how unique it was.

And I said, "Ms.

Dot, I mean what were the kids, how would they play, what would they do?"

And she pointed at the creek across the way and she said, "Oh they would just play in that creek."

[Kate] And this is, this is like the descendants of Jack Daniel- [Fawn] And the descendants of Nearest Green.

[Kate] Wow.

[Fawn] And it's all the Black kids and all the white kids, and in Lynchburg.

And, and, I said, "Well at the same time that Dorothy Dandridge stuck her toe in a pool in Las Vegas and they drained the whole pool, you're telling me that Black and white kids in Lynchburg, Tennessee were playing in a creek across the way?"

[Kate] To honor his great legacy of friendship and excellence, instead of a book or a movie, Fawn made the decision to launch a new whiskey and in 2017, Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey was born.

The first whiskey in history to commemorate an African American.

In just five years, the startup has become the fastest growing American whiskey brand in U.S. history.

The best-selling African American founded spirit of all time and was the most award-winning American whiskey for 2019, 2020, and 2021.

[Kate] I can tell you are so passionate about this story- [Fawn] Yeah.

-that it overcomes everything else.

Right?

The fact that not only did you have the idea, but that you created the distillery, that you created the product.

And that you're scaling it and you're selling out left and right.

[Fawn] We absolutely positively cannot keep up.

We ship anywhere between 6,000 and 8,000 bottles a day.

[Kate] Wow.

[Fawn] And if you walk into any store, into any restaurant, you are lucky to see it on a shelf.

It flies.

[Kate] As founder and CEO, Fawn leads an all-female executive team that includes master blender Victoria Edie Butler, the great-great-granddaughter of Nearest Green.

The first African-American female master blender in history, who now wakes up everyday working to secure the true legacy of her family one barrel at a time.

[Kate] Why was it so important for you to honor Nearest Green this way by naming the whiskey after him; and to really, almost, giving him his due?

[Fawn] Yeah, you know, I almost feel like it was more about the family than it was about Nearest; because everything I've learned about Nearest there is this humility to him that I almost feel like he's in heaven getting a kick out of this like "Why are y'all making such a big deal?

-It was whiskey!!"

Like, you know, that's- [Kate] Yeah.

-that's how I picture him but his descendants, they absolutely cared.

[Kate] In addition to running the business, Fawn also started Nearest Green Foundation: an organization that offers full college tuition to any descendant of Nearest Green to the college of their choice, ensuring that his legacy of talent, skill, and excellence lives on for generations to come.

[Fawn] I have to wake up everyday and feel purpose-driven.

[Kate] Mmm.

[Fawn] And for me, money isn't going to cause that, ever, neither is stuff.

And so, it has to be some type of meaning to someone that I am uniquely positioned to be able to help.

And to share, something that other people couldn't do so I'm able to get up every morning and share this story over and over and over again, and I never get tired of it, I never get bored of it because it is absolutely my purpose in this time.

[Kate] What do you think brought this story to you?

It's almost like it was an intersection, not only reading the story, but having the business acumen to see the possibility all colliding at once.

[Fawn] There have been five keepers of the story of Nearest Green through the years.

Mammy Green, his granddaughter, her place is literally a stone's throw.

[Kate] Yeah.

[Fawn] From Jack Daniel Distillery.

So, when they stopped telling the story somewhere between '78 and '79 she continued making, what they called at that time, "supper" which was served at twelve o'clock, which that's a Southern thing, yeah.

Supper is at twelve.

So, her porch was always filled with men and she would make supper every single day and they'd all come, and she would tell the story of her grandfather.

[Kate] Mmm.

[Fawn] She made sure that any person who sat on her porch knew the story of Nearest Green.

The second person is Ben Green, of no relation.

He's the white reporter from Tuscaloosa, Alabama who came to Lynchburg, Tennessee to write the authoritative biography of Jack Daniel.

He interviewed all of Jack's friends, the people who worked for him, the people who touched him, and knew him best.

And when he finished writing Jack Daniel's legacy, Nearest Green and his boys were included, mentioned, more times than Jack's own family.

That's the second keeper of the story.

The third is Clay Risen.

How I learned of it, how most of us first learned of it, was that New York Times article.

And then I am the fourth person.

So, Mammy Green was born on September 5, 1901, Ben Green was born on September 5, 1902, Clay Risen was born on September 5, 1976, I was born on the exact same day as Clay Risen, September 5, 1976, and we were all born on the birthdate consistently held as believed to be the birthdate of Jack Daniel.

[Kate] Stop.

I never get chills, people talk about getting chills; I just got chills.

[Fawn] I have no doubt I was chosen to tell this story.

I was not a person who found the story.

The story was intended for me and so I always tell people, I'm always looking for whose birthday is September 5 that's taking this on after me [laughs] because I'm not the last one.

I don't believe, I'm the last one.

I look at it as, this is just my leg of the race, I'm passing the baton to someone who I believe will be just as excited to tell this story and to continue talking about this story for generations and generations and generations to come.

[Kate] Ah, cheers to you.

Cheers to you, Fawn.

This is an extraordinary story.

It really is.

Wow.

[Fawn] Cheers to you, cheers to you.

[Kate] After an incredible meal and inspiring conversation, we head to the town of Shelbyville, Tennessee, home of the Nearest Green Distillery.

A 323 acre, 50-million-dollar buildout, a storytelling, whiskey making mecca.

[Kate] When people come here, what do you want them to feel?

[Fawn] I want them to feel like they belong.

No matter where they come from, no matter what their worldview is, no matter what they look like.

[Kate] Yes.

[Fawn] That they absolutely belong.

[Kate] Walking out onto the sprawling landscape, it is clear, that in preserving the profound legacy of Nearest Green, Fawn is also embracing her own, never forgetting her roots, and staying true to who she is.

[Kate] This is about the whiskey, but it's nothing about the whiskey.

[Fawn] It's more than whiskey.

It's so much mo- like literally our first hashtag that we ever had was "More than Whiskey."

And it always has been, it always has been from day one.

It has been this is the place where people are going to gather and belong.

[Kate] What is, do you think is the number one... thing you've learned from this journey, cause- [Fawn] Yeah.

[Kate] It really hasn't been that long.

[Fawn] Yeah.

[Kate] You read that article in- [Fawn] Yeah.

[Kate] 2016.

[Fawn] Yup.

The number one thing I've learned is we're not as far apart as people as the media would have us to believe.

[Kate] Mmm...that's good.

[Kate] I really loved my time with Fawn Weaver.

A woman, who is no doubt a force of nature.

She falls into many categories.

She is a truly gifted businesswoman but I think what she proved today during our delicious meal and conversation is that she is, at heart, a master storyteller.

People talk about the power of a great story, to move someone emotionally, to propel action, to find purpose; and Fawn saw something in the eyes of a photo that sent her down a rabbit hole she wasn't expecting.

One story can change a life and for Fawn one story can turn into the adventure of a lifetime.

KATE: If you would like to know more about the guests, the restaurants, and the inspiring stories of success, please visit todinefortv.com or follow us on Facebook and Instagram at To Dine For TV.

We also have a podcast, To Dine For the podcast is available on Apple podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts.

To Dine For with Kate Sullivan is made possible by... ANNOUNCER: There are people in your life who count on you for what matters most.

American National agents are close to home and committed to our communities.

They'll help you find the right coverage for you, your family, even your farm and business.

You can learn more at americannational.com.