The Orangery has been remodeled and given a new name of Kitchen 919, owned by Chef Deron Little Wochit
For more than 40 years, The Orangery restaurant was the grande dame of Knoxville's culinary scene.
It was opened in 1971 by Kristopher Kendrick and Chef Frank Gardner, was destroyed by fire in 1984 and rebuilt by Kendrick's daughter, Karen Kendrick. In 2009 David Kiger took ownership until the eatery closed for good in 2016.
Chef Deron Little and wife Sheah, owner of Seasons Innovative Bar & Grille, and son Drake Little, a commercial real estate agent, worked closely with Tim Hill and Mike Hatcher of Hatcher-Hill Properties LLC to acquire the location.
The lease was signed in January with the expectation to open in July. The building was stripped to bare bones before restoration began, and the process took much longer than expected.
"A wise man once told me that you have to pick one pickle at a time out of a pickle jar and the first pickle is usually the hardest. The Orangery has been a hard pickle, but it will be worth it," Deron Little said.
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In addition to an interior and exterior upgrade, the eatery also was given a new name — Kitchen 919 — inspired by fellowship found around the kitchen table and the restaurant's ZIP code.
"It took something very special to get us to do this again (open another restaurant), and in this case it was the historic aspect of the Orangery and its iconic culinary reputation," Deron Little said. "For us to be able to restore it and bring it back to its beauty and stature within the community was a challenge that needed to happen."
Chef Carol Scott was named executive chef of the restaurant, and Roland Michaud the general manager. Michaud has a background in management, having worked at the Ritz-Carlton, Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse and Citico.
Some will remember Scott as the local chef who appeared on "Hell's Kitchen." That was in 2009. Since then the Le Cordon Bleu graduate has operated a private chef business, and worked at Blue Slip Winery and Seasons Innovative Bar and Grill.
The restaurant officially opened on Thursday, Dec. 7, with a menu that Chef Little describes as "timeless cuisine."
"What we are doing is honoring the past while modernizing it for today's expectations. That's exactly what the building needed in a nutshell, too," he said.
The menu includes appetizers, small plates, soups, salads, entrees and desserts.
Prices range from $9 for a bowl of roasted sweet potato bisque to $46 for a 14-ounce bone-in cowgirl ribeye Oscar served with butter poached king crab, asparagus puree, bearnaise sauce and truffled Yukon potato mash.
Other items include the pistachio-encrusted rack of lamb entree with minted cipollini onion demi-glace, sunchoke and potato mash, and broccolini for $39; the Duck Duck Goose with crispy skin duck breast, house-made duck sausage and duck confit with caramelized Brussels sprouts, whole grain mustard lentils, gooseberry and pomegranate gastrique with gooseberries and pickled mustard seeds for $24.
The small plate menu features roasted quail, a dish of beets and cream, and shrimp and grits. Prices range from $11 to $13. Desserts are prepared by pastry chef Kaitlyn Rodabaugh.
The eatery is utilizing local sources as much as possible. That includes cheeses from Sweetwater Valley Farm, dairy from Cruze Farm Dairy, as well as items from Springer Mountain Farms, Cheshire Farms Pork, Shelton Farms, White Lily, Friendly Aquaponics and Rushy Springs Farms.
Kitchen 919 also has a craft cocktail bar overseen by Michelle Porter.
"She has created a drink list that is very unique. The bar is a big part of our concept," Deron Little said.
The ever-popular "Orangery piano" is at the base of the winding staircase awaiting some of Knoxville's most popular talent to tickle its ivories.
Little said the antique credenzas left behind when The Orangery closed are in the banquet room at the top of the stairs.
"We've named it the Phoenix Banquet Room because we feel like we've raised this restaurant from the ashes for a second time," he said.
The restaurant sports an art deco look done in rich brown and blue tones with creamy gold accent walls. Jennifer Neal of Tile Sensations was the interior designer.
"A sign at her business says 'Resist the Normal,' and that is what she does. She has created a very special place for us and our guests," Little said, adding, "You should see our bathrooms. They are phenomenal."
Kitchen 919 is at 5448 Homberg Drive. It's open 4:30-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 4:30-11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. It's closed on Sunday. Phone is 865-337-5775. Reservations recommended.