Georgia Roots

Inspired by her Southern upbringing, Executive Chef Brandie Lamb tends to her lovable animals and freshly grown vegetables from her own slice of heaven in central Tennessee.

Georgia native Brandie Lamb, an executive chef with Tisdel Distributing, the exclusive distributor of Sub-Zero, Wolf, and Cove in the Midwest and Mid-South, has been as busy this year on her Tennessee farm as she has been in the kitchen. “I was living on a property closer to Nashville when I ended up purchasing an old log cabin on 22 acres in Columbia,” says Lamb. “And it has been an exciting process so far getting it up and running.”

An avowed animal lover, Lamb, has a veritable menagerie of goats and sheep ready to move onto her property once she finishes her renovations. “Right now, I just have some chickens, a couple of roosters, and my dogs and cat here, but soon I will have a full-fledged hobby farm.”

Lamb found what she considers “the prettiest place of all” by way of Florida and Missouri. “I just love Middle Tennessee,” she says. “I’ve been here for going on three years now, and before that, I was in St. Louis for nine years.” There, she worked both as the owner of Nosh Catering and then as executive chef at another Sub-Zero, Wolf, Cove showroom before transitioning to Tisdel, which is based in Cincinnati.

Despite having a few different states on her resume, her Georgia roots shine through in her cooking. “Georgia is known for its pecan trees, so my mom and grandmother and I would make these delicious little mini tarts for the holidays,” says Lamb. ”My family calls them pecan tassies, and we’d have them every year." Lamb says she was able to recreate them perfectly using the Wolf Convection Steam Oven. “These ovens have so many different capabilities,” she says, detailing how she provides customer use and care instructions. “I help make sure owners know all the ways they can use their new appliances,” she says. “I always love to see the light bulb going off during my demonstrations! It gives them a better result when they understand these great functions.”

While she may not grow her own pecans on her Tennessee farm, Lamb is looking forward to planting other trees. “I grew up with fruit trees, but I've never had them personally, so I'm going to try to do that.” She has already plotted out where her new garden is going. “I’ve always had a garden,” says Lamb. “I grow all kinds of lettuces, specific tomato varieties, and lots of herbs. I’m really big on using herbs in all of my recipes.” She describes with delight being able to pluck fresh herbs right from her front porch. “ I have a lot of turkey and deer in my yard, so I'll sit out there and watch them in the morning with my breakfast. I can lean over, get mint from my mint bush, and put it right in my yogurt and fruit.”

A key part of her culinary style is the ability to incorporate her homegrown produce. “I think it's really important to be able to pull vegetables, fruits, and herbs from your yard and add them directly into your cooking,” says Lamb. “Being able to grow things that don't have chemicals on them, store them in Sub-Zero refrigerators, and know that they will stay fresh is amazing.”

Every Sub-Zero has a digitally precise microprocessor that keeps temperatures consistent and an air purifier that cleans the interior air and extends the life of refrigerated foods.

That Sub-Zero assurance of freshness comes in handy for Lamb’s famous unconventional salads. ”I get very bored with just a bowl of greens and tomatoes,” she says, “so I have created a huge collection of ‘not-salads’ that have a ton of different, interesting components, like toasted hazelnuts, crispy shallots, and roasted butternut squash.” She finds it easy to incorporate seasonal ingredients and loves using blackberries and toasted cornbread croutons in the fall and sweet grilled corn and juicy peaches with a basil dressing for a bright summer dish. “It makes it lots of fun to eat healthfully!”