Bellevue, TN May 2024

HEALTH + WELLNESS

VITALITY MEDICAL CENTER

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

NASHVILLE’S HEARING & COMMUNICATION CENTER

Ladies Leading The Way

Statistics show that women make the majority of household decisions. We make 80 percent of healthcare decisions for the family. We’re largely in charge of chores and tasks around the home. We’re caretakers, providers, decision-makers, superheroes.

And in this issue, we’re proud to spotlight the women in our community making a difference for others. In particular, Bellevue women are making waves in medicine — from Dr. Gina Angley’s Nashville’s Hearing & Communication Center pioneering change for adults with hearing loss, to Dr. Sommer White’s functional medicine approach that heals patients from the inside out through her practice, Vitality Medical Center.

Get your fascinators and mint juleps ready, we’re also covering all things Steeplechase. Held annually in Bellevue at Percy Warner Park since 1941, The Iroquois Steeplechase is Nashville's Rite of Spring. There has been a slew of female jockeys, trainers, owners, and even racehorses competing in the event through the years, but women often steal the show in another way: fashion. Steeplechase is a place where style is as much a part of the day as the racing itself, with oversized hats, seersucker, and floral prints descending on Bellevue for the social event of the year.

As a local myself and a contributor to Bellevue City Lifestyle, it’s an honor to help tell the stories of the women in our community who are changemakers, tastemakers, and everything in between. In fact, I’m proud to come from a family of powerful women, with my entrepreneurial grandmother, Melba Walton, taking a leap of faith with her business, Walton’s Antique & Estate Jewelry, in the 1980s. It remains one of the oldest businesses on Franklin’s bustling Main Street today.

I’ve had the privilege of helping tell her story through my career as a writer, and I also enjoy telling the tales of my own adventures (and misadventures), shouting about the restaurants I love, and creating guides to inspire readers to wander the world in publications like National Geographic Traveler, Cosmopolitan, Eater, OpenTable and, of course, Bellevue City Lifestyle.

While my work has taken me around the globe, the overarching lesson it’s taught me is that there’s no place like home. The best corner of the world, I’ve found, is the home I grew up in tucked in a cozy neighborhood at the end of Sneed Road.

If you’d like to follow along, visit kelliewaltonwrites.com or instagram.com/ kellieewalton

KELLIE WALTON, CONTRIBUTING WRITER @BELLEVUECITYLIFESTYLE CITYLIFESTYLE.COM/BELLEVUETN

May 2024

PUBLISHER

Doug Waterman | doug.waterman@citylifestyle.com

EDITOR

Ed Atlas | ed.atlas@citylifestyle.com

STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Sharon Asby | sharon@thenashvillephotographer.com

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Ed Atlas, Emma Balkenbush, Kellie Walton

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

Sharon Asby, Ed Atlas, Sachi Kato

Corporate Team

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Steven Schowengerdt

CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER Matthew Perry

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF HR Janeane Thompson

TECHNICAL DIRECTOR Josh Klein

AD DESIGNER Whitney Lockhart

LAYOUT DESIGNER Kathy Nguyen

Learn how to start your own publication at citylifestyle.com/franchise.

Departments

Now Hear This

Dr. Gina Angley Discovers “Pure Joy” At Nashville’s Hearing & Communication Center

Healing from the Inside Out

Dr. Sommer White gets to the root of complex conditions

Nashville’s Rite Of Spring

Iroquois Steeplechase marks the beginning of the Mid South’s spring and summer social season

city scene

1-7: The Bellevue-Harpeth Chamber of Commerce hosted “Women of The Vue” on March 21 at Cafe 100. Photography by Ed Atlas.

8-14: The Bellevue YMCA hosted breakfast for friends and visitors on March 23 to kick off its Annual Giving Campaign. Photography by Ed Atlas.

business monthly

Wynot Saloon Celebrates First Anniversary

The Wynot Saloon celebrated its first anniversary with an on-stage Happy Hour dedication on March 25. Owners Lachelle and Berry Smith welcomed friends, patrons and the Bellevue-Harpeth Chamber of Commerce to commemorate the occasion. Located at 142 Belle Forest Circle, Wynot Saloon opens for lunch daily at 11 a.m. and stays open late into the evening. Attractions include live music every Friday and Saturday. WynotSaloon.com

Sperry's Mercantile Opens on Highway 70 South

Sperry's of Belle Meade opened a Sperry's Mercantile store at 7745 Highway 70 South, next to Royal Range USA in the long-vacant building that was once a Shoney's restaurant. Sperry's Mercantile, which opened on April 15, is a gourmet grocer and butcher shop that sells classic cuts of beef and fish as well as exotic offerings like elk and bison hotdogs. The store also features Cafe Sperry’s coffee shop, the newest addition to the Sperry’s brand. Sperrys.com/location/sperrys-mercantile-bellevue/

Real Estate Team Liz+Co Add Third Member

Liz Zipperer and Courtney Bryant of Liz+Co Realtors have welcomed Cecilia Gagliano to their real estate team. New to Nashville, Gagliano joins Liz+Co after previously working for a diplomatic mission in Washington, D.C. She's a graduate of George Mason University where she earned a degree in global affairs. Liz+Co specializes in residential real estate in the Middle Tennessee area. Follow them on Instagram: @lzandco or online at LZandCo.com

Photography by Ed Atlas

Photography by Wynot Saloon

ARTICLE BY EMMA BALKENBUSH

PHOTOGRAPHY BY SHARON ASBY

“PEOPLE DO N ’T JUST WANT TOHEAR BETTER , THEY WANT TO COMMUNICATEBETTER.”

If you ever find yourself constantly turning up the TV or asking someone to repeat something they said multiple times, it may be time to visit a hearing loss expert. May happens to be the perfect time to schedule the appointment. It’s recognized as Better Speech and Hearing Month to raise awareness of hearing loss.

Dr. Gina Angley and her team at Nashville’s Hearing & Communication Center are standing by ready to help you get the most out of your hearing.

“Hearing better is more than just hearing; people don’t just want to hear better, they want to communicate better,” Angley says.

The Center is an adult, full-service audiology practice that provides everything related to hearing loss, including testing, rehabilitation, and tinnitus (ringing in the ears). For patients who may not be able to make it to the clinic, the center also offers concierge services.

As the center’s founder, Dr. Angley, has had a love for speech, hearing, and audiology since college.

Originally from New Jersey and upstate New York, she moved to Nashville in 2006 to attend Vanderbilt. When she’s not working at the center, she and her husband are likely spending time together with their two dogs. They enjoy traveling, camping and using their side-by-side during nice weather to enjoy Tennessee’s beauty. They live in Kingston Springs but spend a lot of time in the Bellevue area.

“It’s been so fun to see Bellevue grow over time,” she says. “I love that there are more people to help.”

She opened the practice in 2022 after spending 10 years conducting clinical research and serving as associate director for an adult hearing aid program at Vanderbilt. She wants patients who come to her center to know they are in experienced hands.

“I want people to know that I trained, worked and led a team at Vandy, and yes, you’re coming to a community clinic, but the quality of care and what I’m doing here is what I was doing while I was there,” Angley says.

Hearing loss typically emerges during a person’s 30s and 40s and comes on gradually. However, it can happen suddenly. Multiple factors can cause an increased risk for hearing loss, such as noise exposure throughout life, health conditions such as heart disease or diabetes, chemotherapy treatment, as well as aging. While most of the patients at her clinic are over the age of 65, she does have patients in their 30s and 40s.

It’s never too early to have your hearing checked at a baseline level and continuing checks every five years if it’s normal. If a person does have hearing loss or already has hearing aids, Dr. Angley recommends follow-up exams every two years to adjust to changes.

Dr. Gina Angley

She says it’s hard to describe the feeling she gets when a patient tells her their life has changed for the better.

“Internally, it’s just pure joy, it just puts a smile on my face and makes me know I’m in the right place doing God’s work, and I’m doing what I was intended to do,” Angley says.

Healing from the Inside Out

DR. SOMMER WHITE GETS TO THE ROOT OF COMPLEX CONDITIONS

ARTICLE BY KELLIE WALTON

PHOTOGRAPHY BY SHARON ASBY

Dr. Sommer White

Sommer White, MD, spent the beginning of her medical career working in a fast-paced emergency department after training in emergency medicine. But, over the years, she grew increasingly frustrated with the “Band-Aid” approach that runs rampant in healthcare today. Patching a wound, prescribing a pill, and sending patients on their way without addressing any root causes is the unfortunate reality for many patients.

Now, Dr. White has taken matters into her own hands by leaving a traditional healthcare practice in favor of a more holistic approach. The concept is called functional medicine — which targets the underlying cause of chronic conditions, focusing on lifestyle changes as opposed to perpetual pharmaceuticals.

“I was tired of the Band-Aid approach and people not being open to changing their diet and lifestyle to help chronic conditions,” Dr. White shares. “A lot of what we do now is an integrative functional medicine practice, so we really look to find the root cause of the disease and we use dietary and lifestyle changes to help people feel better.”

Most anyone interested in maintaining wellness is a candidate for treatment at Dr. White’s practice, Vitality Medical Center, though the team has seen exceptional results for those with chronic complex illnesses—Lyme disease, mold toxicity, viral infections, IBS, and much more. Alongside Dr. White at the practice are Elizabeth York, FNP-C, Hans Hinterkopf, PA-C, and Anne Laura Reviere, NP/RD.

In addition to diet and lifestyle changes, treatment options available at Vitality include bioidentical hormone replacement therapy, ozone therapy, medical weight loss, IV, neural, and peptide therapy, among others, as well as a collection of aesthetic services.

“We’ve added an aesthetics line that helps to rebuild the body, but also helps with improving the outward appearance,” Dr. White adds.

The state-of-the-art equipment and aesthetic treatment options at Vitality include full-body RF microneedling, non-invasive treatments that rebuild the bone, muscles, elastin, and collagen in the face, and body contouring that permanently dissolves fat cells and builds muscle. All aesthetic options are non-toxic, non-invasive, and have no downtime.

A passion project for the Vitality team revolves around all the sensitive, stigmatized problems that naturally occur with age or childbirth—things like incontinence, hormone imbalances, and changes in sexual function. Through things like pelvic floor therapy and bioidentical hormone replacement therapy, Dr. White and her team help remedy these unspoken issues in a private (and often life-changing) way.

While service options are aplenty at Vitality, Dr. White maintains that food and diet are the most important components of wellness. The Vitality website includes many recipe ideas to help incorporate whole foods into your routine.

“If you’re eating well, then it really is a foundation for health,” she adds. “We are generally recommending a whole foods diet with a lot of vegetables. I like to tell people to get a good variety of colors in their vegetables. As much variety as you can get helps your microbiome and helps your gut be healthier.”

Since opening around nine years ago, Dr. White has enjoyed helping patients overcome chronic conditions both in the Bellevue community and beyond, noting that patients travel from across the country for treatment (thanks in part to a viral TikTok of a patient sharing their healing journey). Bellevue is home for Dr. White, and you’ll often find her exploring the parks in town.

SommerWhiteMD.com

“Traditional medicine is a dependent model. We want to give our patients the tools to be able to go out there and take care of themselves.”

“When I changed my diet and completely went into a whole food, mostly plant-based diet, I started to really feel the changes of what food can do.”

ARTICLE BY ED ATLAS | PHOTOGRAPHY PROVIDED

Of Spring Nashville’s Rite

THE IROQUOIS STEEPLECHASE MARKS THE BEGINNING OF THE MID SOUTH’S SPRING AND SUMMER SOCIAL SEASON

The Iroquois Steeplechase is Nashville’s Rite of Spring, and will beckon thousands to Bellevue’s Percy Warner Park on the second Saturday in May as it has every year (save for 1945 and 2020) since 1941.

The 83rd renewal falls on May 11, exactly one week after The Kentucky Derby. While it isn’t on the same scale as its famous cousin to the north, if you think this is some watered-down version of the Run for the Roses, you’re sipping from the wrong glass of whiskey.

Race day marks the beginning of the Mid South’s spring and summer social season. Majestic horses are the stars of the show but the pageantry – and a certain level of indulgence – surrounding it is what makes the day great.

Fashion is at the top of everyone’s list as the surrounding hillsides make for a stunning backdrop for the season’s brightest and finest apparel. Whether it’s a sundress by a famous designer, a gentleman’s seersucker suit or a specialty accessory like a hat the size of a small flying saucer, you’ll see it at the Steeplechase.

It’s also a day of reunions of sorts. Friends and families, many of whom have been attending the Steeplechase for decades, gather in everything from corporate tents and luxury boxes to an unpretentious afternoon at the park.

Perhaps no one in town is more connected to the event than race chairman, Dwight Hall. Originally from Pennsylvania, he’s been involved with the Steeplechase since 1960 when, as a 15-year-old rider, he made his first of 26 starts in The Iroquois. In 1977 he won the race aboard Alvaro. Upon retiring as a rider, Hall became clerk of the course. He served in that capacity until 2007 when he was elevated to race chairman.

“The Iroquois is a very prestigious Grade 1 race. We have the largest purse structure on the American spring circuit.”

“The Iroquois is a very prestigious Grade 1 race,” says Hall. “We have the largest purse structure on the American spring circuit and the second largest on the entire (National Steeplechase Association) calendar.”

About a half-million dollars in prize money will be on the line, including the $200,000 feature race. In addition to domestic horses, many contenders ship to the race from the United Kingdom including last year’s winner, Scaramanga.

Setup begins about two weeks prior to the event. The organizing team, which does not receive funding from Metro, is responsible for all track maintenance. Approximately 200 volunteers will be on the grounds on race day. Gates open at 9 a.m. with opening ceremonies at noon. The seven-race card begins at 1 p.m. and concludes with the 83rd running of The Iroquois at 5 p.m. The show goes on, rain-or-shine.

“It’s just a great day to be in a pretty, countryside setting,” says Hall. “It’s quite a festival and there’s something there for everyone.”

Since 1981, Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt has been the Steeplechase’s primary beneficiary, receiving more than $11 million from the Volunteer State Horseman’s Foundation. Ticket information, as well as a list of what to bring and what to leave at home, is available online at IroquoisSteeplechase.org

HEALTHY FOR SPRING AND ALL YEAR LONG

Reimagine Your Seasonal Menus With Fresh & Flavorful Fare

Sommer White is more than just a doctor trying to help her patients feel better through integrative and functional medicine at Vitality Medical Center. She’s also passionate about food and is always searching for imaginative, fresh and flavorful fare. She collaborates with chef/photographer Sachi Kato to come up with a variety of original recipes that meet those criteria.

“Sachi and I usually come up with recipe ideas for certain times of the year and she creates a lot of them for me,” says Sommer.

Here are a couple of Sommer’s favorite springtime recipes. And if you like what you see here, there are dozens more at SommerWhiteMD.com.

MATCHA GREEN TEA LATTE

This vegan matcha latte is creamy and comforting with an energy lift—and it’s loaded with antioxidants. Serves two.

ingredients:

• 2 teaspoons matcha green tea powder

• 2 cups almond milk or other non-dairy milk

• 1 pinch sea salt

• 3-4 teaspoons maple syrup

• 1/8 teaspoons cardamom powder (optional)

directions:

Step 1. Place matcha green tea powder in small mixing bowl and pour 1/4 cup of hot water. Mix well with small whisk until matcha powder is dissolved completely. Set aside.

Step 2. In saucepan, heat almond milk over medium low to a gentle boil. Add a pinch of sea salt, maple syrup, the matcha mixture, and cardamon powder. Stir well to combine.

Step 3. Transfer to serving cups and serve hot.

ARTICLE BY ED ATLAS PHOTOGRAPHY BY SACHI KATO

Matcha Green Tea Latte

VEGAN PASTAPRIMAVERA WITH BRAISED BRUSSELS SPROUTS

This scrumptious green and white pasta dish offers the flavors of spring infused with a light white wine sauce. Serves four.

ingredients:

Braised Brussels Sprouts:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 2 cups Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved

• ¼ cup vegetable broth or water

• few pinches sea salt

• black pepper to taste

Pasta Primavera:

• 8 ounces pasta such as angel hair or spaghetti

• 3 tablespoons olive oil, and a little more for a finishing touch

• 1 medium onion, finely diced

• 1 teaspoon sea salt, more to taste

• 2 stalks celery, finely diced

• 3 cloves garlic, minced

• 4 medium size brown mushrooms, sliced

• ½ cup dry white wine

• 1 cup chopped asparagus

• 1 cup chopped zucchini

• black pepper to taste (optional)

• celery leaves or parsley for garnish

directions:

TO MAKE BRAISED BRUSSELS SPROUTS:

Step 1. Heat skillet over medium heat, add oil and Brussels sprouts. Pan fry Brussels sprouts until golden for about 1-2 minutes. Flip sprouts and do the same to the other side.

Step 2. Pour broth or water over the Brussels sprouts, cover and steam cook for 1 minute over medium low heat until tender.

Step 3. Remove cover, season with sea salt and black pepper. Let the remaining liquid evaporate in the skillet. Place Brussels sprouts in bowl and set aside.

TO MAKE PASTA PRIMAVERA:

Step 1. Boil water in large pot.

Step 2. Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium heat, add onion, sea salt, and garlic, sauté until onion becomes translucent, about 5 minutes. Add celery and mushroom and sauté for about 3 minutes. Pour white wine and cook until wine cooks down, about 2-3 minutes.

Step 3. In the meantime, cook pasta according to the package. Save ¼ cup pasta cooking water. Drain pasta with colander but do not rinse.

Step 4. Add asparagus, and zucchini to the skillet, sauté for one minute. Pour ¼ cup pasta cooking water, continue to stir for another minute until vegetables become bright and tender.

Step 5. Add cooked pasta and the Braised Brussels Sprouts. Using tongs, gently stir to combine. Add sea salt and black pepper to taste. Olive oil may be added, if desired.

Step 6. Serve with garnish.

Vegan Pasta Primavera with Braised Brussel Sprouts

F r e e z e T i m e , E m b r a c e F o r e v e r p o r t r a i t s | m a t e r n i t y | f a m i l y | n e w b o r n

realty report

A SAMPLE OF RECENTLY SOLD PROPERTIES IN BELLEVUE.

A SELECTION OF UPCOMING LOCAL EVENTS

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615-645-9866 • www.encircleacupuncture.com

VB @encircleacupuncture • 140 Belle Forest Cir, Nashville, TN 37221

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Preschool –High School

Math and Reading Program

To learn more, Kumon Math and Reading Center of Bellevue

7055 Highway 70 South Bellevue, TN 37221 615.646.3243

VARIOUS DATES THROUGHOUT MAY

May Events at Warner Parks Nature Center

PERCY WARNER PARK, 7311 Highway 100

A myriad of free, family friendly events are on tap throughout May. Highlights include: Spring Bird Banding (Tuesday 7, 14, 21 at 8 a.m.); Spring Sound Party (Thursday 9, 6:30 p.m.); Vol Call: Parks Beautification and Toolin’ On The Trail (Saturday 18, 10 a.m.); Cicada Celebration (Thursday 23 and Friday 24, 1 p.m.); WarnerParks.org/upcoming-events/

VARIOUS DATES THROUGHOUT MAY

Nashville Sounds Baseball

FIRST HORIZON PARK, 19 JUNIOR GILLIAM WAY

The Nashville Sounds are in town for 11 dates in May. Game times are 6:35 p.m. except for Sundays which begin at 2:05 p.m. Sounds vs. Norfolk Tides, May 1-5; Sounds vs. Charlotte Knights, May 21-26.  Every Friday is Fox 17 Fireworks night. A complete list of promotions and ticket information are available online. www.milb.com/nashville

VARIOUS DATES THROUGHOUT MAY

Nashville Symphony

SCHERMERHORN SYMPHONY CENTER, DOWNTOWN NASHVILLE

The Nashville Symphony plays 19 dates in May covering multiple genres. Highlights include Beethoven’s Violin Concerto (May 2-4), Amos Lee (May 9-11), Family Series performance of The Unicorn’s Birthday (May 12), Mahler’s Monumental Opus (May 16-18), Marcus Miller (May 22), E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial In Concert (May 25-26), Carmina Burana (May 30 - June 2). (Showtimes and tickets: NashvilleSymphony.org

MAY 18TH

45th Annual Bellevue Community Picnic, Presented by Nashville Christian School

655 COLICE JEANNE ROAD BEHIND BELLEVUE MIDDLE SCHOOL

The annual event produced by the Bellevue-Harpeth Chamber of Commerce features carnival rides, pony rides, inflatables, live music, arts and crafts, a Kidz Zone and an amazing variety of food trucks and vendors, all capped off with a fireworks display. Located directly behind Bellevue Middle School. Sponsorship and volunteer opportunities, as well as vendor applications, are available online at BellevueHarpethChamber.com.

MAY 27TH

Memorial Day at Middle Tennessee State Veterans Cemetery

7931 MCCRORY LANE | 8:00 AM

Stop by for a self-guided tour of one of only five military cemeteries maintained by The Tennessee Department of Veterans Services. Whether it’s for a few minutes, an hour or more, a walk through the bucolic and sacred grounds of this Bellevue landmark makes for a meaningful Memorial Day experience.

While traditional stretching methods attempt to make you more “flexible,” we work to adjust the stretch reflex. This way, the Stretch Zone Method gradually increases your active range of motion.

Consider how a car seatbelt works. If pulled too quickly, the belt locks. If the belt is forced, you are just stretching the material itself, and that’s where injury happens. When a car seatbelt is pulled smoothly and controlled, the belt will fully extend. It’s the same with your body’s stretch reflex.

MAY 31ST

Full Moon Pickin’ Party

PERCY WARNER PARK, 2500 OLD HICKORY BLVD. | 6:00 PM

The Full Moon Pickin’ Party in Percy Warner Park has been a Bellevue tradition for 26 years. Patrons enjoy live bluegrass music, local food trucks, cold brews, and more. Bring an acoustic instrument for discounted admission and join a pickin’ circle. Dogs on leashes welcome. Lawn chairs encouraged. Admission includes complimentary soda, water and up to three beers (21+). WarnerParks.org