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No doubt you’ve heard of the newly opened Massey’s Kitchen on Lookout Mountain by now. A destination restaurant in the few days it’s been open, this remarkable place beckons folks from far and wide and all say the drive is worth it!
I’m extra spoiled because I can walk there, but everyone who enters the open garage-style doors to the shaded patio will definitely be spoiled. Owner Allen Corey and his SquareOne team did not jump into this endeavor lightly, although they could have. Instead they travelled to the Mediterranean to find the specific tastes and techniques and delicacies from Morocco, Spain Italy, Greece, Egypt and Israel. The massive red pizza oven came straight from Italy, and the exact instructions for preparing the dough are explained in detail to the kitchen crew. And that dough is amazing!
The MK team didn’t settle for anything less than perfection, and every single thing in Massey’s Kitchen is carefully curated, from the heavy earthenware china to the special chef’s table in front of the kitchen. Imagine a special dinner with friends and family, raising your glass as you toast each other and watch your dinner being prepared right in front of you! Of course while you wait you’ll be enjoying a chef’s board with imported Cerignola olives, pickled onions, prosciutto and salami and that aforementioned housemade bruschetta.
I’m dying over the pizza. I enjoyed it last night and am thinking about it all day. I can’t wait to reheat it to its original perfection, something I will be able to do with instructions from MK. “We all took pizza home every single night to perfect the reheating technique,” Allen explained. And chances are there will be plenty to take home!
The MK French fries are a must. Hand-cut, they undergo more than a few steps before arriving crisp on your plate. In short, they aren’t pulled from the freezer and deep-fried. As a matter of fact, there are no freezers at Massey’s Kitchen because nothing is frozen.
Several items are imported from the Mediterranean region, including several cheeses, dates, Italian flour, whole plum Italian tomatoes, Italian sea salt, prosciutto de parma, Turkish figs and Italian olive oil. Several items specific to MK are available for sale, including vinaigrette dressings and the MK burger dust, a delicious spice blend, as well as debittered olive oil.
“Everything we serve is made from scratch, and nothing is kept in the refrigerator for more than two days,” Allen explains two days before the opening. Dozens of people are bustling about on this day, all dressed in crisp white chefs jackets with the restaurant’s logo embroidered on them. The servers are completing their final training, the cooks are perfecting their techniques and Allen is smack dab in the middle of everything, bragging on them all.
“It’s not my restaurant,” the owner of several successful establishments explains as he waves his arms at the activity. “We’re a team. This takes every single one of us.” And even though kitchens are notoriously hot on so many levels, this one is a whirring, well-oiled machine that is busy but level as far as stress goes, even at the 11th hour.
During its grand opening, the SquareUp Foundation raised money and awareness to support the Children’s Hospital at Erlanger Hematology and Oncology Clinic. The clinic will use the funds to purchase a new surgical procedure/infusion bed that is designed specifically for children undergoing treatments for diseases such as childhood leukemia.
“Children undergoing treatments could have as many as 25 sedated procedures in a two-year period, these beds provide the children with comfort in a stressful environment.” said James Holland, CFO at SquareOne Holding and Lookout Mountain resident. James and his wife, April, have a personal connection to this foundation as their son, Brewster, has been a patient at Children’s Hospital at Erlanger over the past two years.
SquareOne’s 501(c)3 charity SquareUp Foundation administers the HOPE Fund, which stands for Helping Our People in Emergencies. This fund pays grants to any of SquareOne’s 2,000+ restaurant team members facing sudden and damaging hardships. A selection committee composed entirely of servers, bartenders, hosts, dishwashers, and cooks from all SquareOne stores review and votes on administering the funds.
Lookout Mountain native Fletcher Thompson is front and center at the new establishment, as is Ruth Oehmig, former owner of Café on the Corner where MK is located. Allen’s wife, Maddin, may or may not be a constant at the lively new restaurant, but her presence is always there. Just under the table nearest the fireplace is a triptych depicting a lush, complex, plentiful array of bold fruits and vegetables and a colorful animal or two, all so bold and inviting you have to stop yourself from jumping right into the painting. Maddin created this piece of art, and it just sums the entire place up.
by Ferris Robinson
I’m extra spoiled because I can walk there, but everyone who enters the open garage-style doors to the shaded patio will definitely be spoiled. Owner Allen Corey and his SquareOne team did not jump into this endeavor lightly, although they could have. Instead they travelled to the Mediterranean to find the specific tastes and techniques and delicacies from Morocco, Spain Italy, Greece, Egypt and Israel. The massive red pizza oven came straight from Italy, and the exact instructions for preparing the dough are explained in detail to the kitchen crew. And that dough is amazing!
The MK team didn’t settle for anything less than perfection, and every single thing in Massey’s Kitchen is carefully curated, from the heavy earthenware china to the special chef’s table in front of the kitchen. Imagine a special dinner with friends and family, raising your glass as you toast each other and watch your dinner being prepared right in front of you! Of course while you wait you’ll be enjoying a chef’s board with imported Cerignola olives, pickled onions, prosciutto and salami and that aforementioned housemade bruschetta.
I’m dying over the pizza. I enjoyed it last night and am thinking about it all day. I can’t wait to reheat it to its original perfection, something I will be able to do with instructions from MK. “We all took pizza home every single night to perfect the reheating technique,” Allen explained. And chances are there will be plenty to take home!
The MK French fries are a must. Hand-cut, they undergo more than a few steps before arriving crisp on your plate. In short, they aren’t pulled from the freezer and deep-fried. As a matter of fact, there are no freezers at Massey’s Kitchen because nothing is frozen.
Several items are imported from the Mediterranean region, including several cheeses, dates, Italian flour, whole plum Italian tomatoes, Italian sea salt, prosciutto de parma, Turkish figs and Italian olive oil. Several items specific to MK are available for sale, including vinaigrette dressings and the MK burger dust, a delicious spice blend, as well as debittered olive oil.
“Everything we serve is made from scratch, and nothing is kept in the refrigerator for more than two days,” Allen explains two days before the opening. Dozens of people are bustling about on this day, all dressed in crisp white chefs jackets with the restaurant’s logo embroidered on them. The servers are completing their final training, the cooks are perfecting their techniques and Allen is smack dab in the middle of everything, bragging on them all.
“It’s not my restaurant,” the owner of several successful establishments explains as he waves his arms at the activity. “We’re a team. This takes every single one of us.” And even though kitchens are notoriously hot on so many levels, this one is a whirring, well-oiled machine that is busy but level as far as stress goes, even at the 11th hour.
During its grand opening, the SquareUp Foundation raised money and awareness to support the Children’s Hospital at Erlanger Hematology and Oncology Clinic. The clinic will use the funds to purchase a new surgical procedure/infusion bed that is designed specifically for children undergoing treatments for diseases such as childhood leukemia.
“Children undergoing treatments could have as many as 25 sedated procedures in a two-year period, these beds provide the children with comfort in a stressful environment.” said James Holland, CFO at SquareOne Holding and Lookout Mountain resident. James and his wife, April, have a personal connection to this foundation as their son, Brewster, has been a patient at Children’s Hospital at Erlanger over the past two years.
SquareOne’s 501(c)3 charity SquareUp Foundation administers the HOPE Fund, which stands for Helping Our People in Emergencies. This fund pays grants to any of SquareOne’s 2,000+ restaurant team members facing sudden and damaging hardships. A selection committee composed entirely of servers, bartenders, hosts, dishwashers, and cooks from all SquareOne stores review and votes on administering the funds.
Lookout Mountain native Fletcher Thompson is front and center at the new establishment, as is Ruth Oehmig, former owner of Café on the Corner where MK is located. Allen’s wife, Maddin, may or may not be a constant at the lively new restaurant, but her presence is always there. Just under the table nearest the fireplace is a triptych depicting a lush, complex, plentiful array of bold fruits and vegetables and a colorful animal or two, all so bold and inviting you have to stop yourself from jumping right into the painting. Maddin created this piece of art, and it just sums the entire place up.
by Ferris Robinson
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