We asked, you answered.

If Taylor Swift were a Chattanooga restaurant, which would she be?

Last week, we discussed Taylor's particular balance of brilliance with invitation. What restaurants do the same? You sent in some fabulous responses. (Scattered and smothered Swift?) More on those in one sec.

But first?

Society of Work has openings. Come be our neighbor.

Since the early days of Food as a Verb, we've been working, imagining and meeting at Society of Work on the North Shore.

A co-working space has been a dream for us. Top to bottom, the place is both inspiring and effective: quiet places for quiet work, community places for fellowship, lightning-fast responsiveness from the SoW team and really gorgeous architecture and design.

We enjoy working there. And sometimes, in these days, those four words can be hard to find.

We're proud of our partnership with Society of Work. If you're looking for any office or co-working space, contact them here.

Our neighbor a few houses away dropped off a tomato pie earlier this month. Not any tiny pie, this was a monster, humped up like a speed bump in the center.

Tomatoes are lasting a lot longer now. We were harvesting ours through October.

She made 54 pies this summer.

All from tomatoes and herbs in her garden.

This may not be news, but somehow, it feels like news. We want it to be news. In this world of [choose your own worst] news stories, we want the world to know: there's a woman in Chattanooga who freely baked 54 tomato pies for neighbors this summer.

Spooky Amaro is almost sold-out.

This coming Monday, Oct. 27, join Calliope's Raven Humphrey for an evening of amaro, the ancient digestif.

Our last amaro class was a blast. This one promises even more fun, with Halloween-inspired surprises. An outstanding teacher, Raven talks history, culture and reasons why amaro means so much to her.

They'll be amaro tastings, brilliant food from Calliope along with Halloween-inspired bites.

Tickets can be found here for all members of The Table.

Our friends at The Bethlehem Center's urban farm have been part of the Calliope menu for months.

When the MLK Boulevard restaurant was named one of the top 50 restaurants in the US, New York Times reporters neglected to name the farms that Calliope uses to make its top-50 menu.

The Beth is one of them.

Now, its arugula is part of the menu at one of our other favorite places: Little Coyote.

Its dish — smoked chicken, burnt cauliflower, raisins and arugula — features arugula grown by Damon Bartos and his team at The Beth.

"Wild heirloom arugula," Damon said. "Seeds date back to the Roman Empire. Crazy flavor on it!"

Little Coyote's open seven days a week in St. Elmo.

Applications for the 2026 Master Garden Program are now open.

The program is a treasure, thanks to Haley Richardson Treadway, Hamilton County's Ag-Extension Agent from the University of Tennessee's Institute of Agriculture.

This is one of the finest bargains in the region, with dozens of hours of good, clear instruction to become a certified Master Gardener.

All for $200.

Applications can be found here.

UT's Ag Institute is also offering its Master Farm Manager program which begins Oct. 28 and runs Tuesday-Thursdays for two weeks.

"Tennessee Master Farm Manager focuses on solid business principles to help you better manage your operation and utilize resources on your farm efficiently," the program states.

Evenings from 6 to 8 pm, beginning Oct. 28 at Birchwood Community Center. Topics include: keeping heifers, cattle marketing, breeding beef costs, record keeping, business planning and more.

Successful completion leads to Master Farm Manager certification and which qualifies for TAEP credit.

For more info, visit here.

Finally, Taylor.

Last week, we considered the brilliant balance of Taylor Swift: she's inviting, engaging but also top-shelf talented.

If she were a Chattanooga restaurant, which one would she be?

Well, you responded.

Enjoy some Food as a Verb reader responses below. 

"Gonna suggest three possibilities as Taylor Swift-level restaurants:

1.  Scotties on the River

2.  Sidetrack/Boathouse

3.  Public House

"I know they don’t employ the chefs you usually talk with and listen to and they don’t have the cache of the Little Coyotes, Alleias, St. Johns, etc. but they do food remarkably well and, as you noted, are at least reasonably accessible to folks in my economic strata.

"Little Coyote, St. Johns, and the other excellent top tier restaurants in Chattanooga represent aspirational events for us - an anniversary celebration or New Year’s dinner, once a year at most.

"And while none of my suggestions are inexpensive, I don’t have to do mental mathematical gymnastics to see if I have enough room on my monthly credit card balance to decide if we can eat at one of them. I can just say yes.

"Am I giving up the last nth of brilliance? Maybe - and not to dumb down Taylor Swift - but I’m never disappointed by any of my three.

"They’re brilliant in their own way - maintaining very high quality offerings for a lot of people every day. And has Josh notes, they were part of the trend to move towards people: the riverfront, Riverview/Red Bank/Hixson, and downtown."

What a fun question to pose!

"I would liken Taylor Swift to State of Confusion. Both her music and their menu have different tastes and styles but remain authentic to who they are.

"And in that way, they are solid, consistent, and incredibly delicious.

"SoC is good enough to impress out of town guests with their chimichurri, and they're a solid choice for weekend brunch (so much love for their muffaletta!).

"Similarly, one would intentionally choose Taylor for special occasions and be remiss to pass by "You Need to Calm Down" while scanning the radio (although I personally enjoy the music video so much more!!)."

Tony's on the Bluff. My brother-in-law who is a chef wants to eat there every time he visits Chattanooga. Great bread. Flavorful sauces. Why not?

Boathouse. Not downtown, not North Shore, not Main Street. Serving quality in an industrial neighborhood and thriving.

"I recently picked up my wife at the airport mid-afternoon on a weekday. After being away for a week she said yes to an offer to get something at the Boathouse before returning home. We arrived about 2:30 and found out there was a wait for the tables on the outdoor deck. Nothing disappointed with her oysters or my po boy. Also saw they are adding seating and additional parking across the street. 

"Final choice is not unique to Chattanooga and saved for last because a foodie might quit reading if named this first.

"But comfort food that you can watch being prepared from real ingredients is as real an American experience as a Taylor Swift line.

"So it's got to be Waffle House."

Old Man Rivers… hands down.

I would say Calliope.

"I think it’s always an incredible dinning experience that is delicious, different and clean fresh food. Yum! It’s my favorite but also depicts what I believe to be Taylor’s gifts, talents and good character.

Chick-fil-A is probably the only restaurant that’s got the requisite quality, broad appeal, and numbers to be considered in her league.

"Also they have both weathered moments of controversy and prevailed.

"Both beloved by the NFL."

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This story is 100% human generated; no AI chatbot was used in the creation of this content.