Gentleman Among Us
There’s something special about the men of Mount Juliet.
Not in a flashy, headline-grabbing kind of way - but in the quiet, steady way they show up every single day. In the early mornings, the long workdays, and the sacrifices that often go unseen. In the way they lead their families, build their businesses, serve their community, and carry responsibility with both strength and humility.
This issue is dedicated to those men.
The ones who are building something - whether it’s a career, a legacy, or simply a good life for the people they love. The ones who choose the harder road because it’s the right one. The ones who understand that success isn’t just measured in what you gain, but in what you give.
As I worked on this issue, I found myself thinking about the men in my own life.
The ones who have shaped me, supported me, challenged me, and reminded me what it looks like to lead with integrity. Men who value faith, family, and purpose. Men who don’t always ask for recognition, but deserve it all the same.
And that’s what you’ll find in these pages.
Stories of men who are rooted in something deeper. Who are making an impact not just through big moments, but through consistency - through showing up, day in and day out, for their families, their work, and their community.
Because in a world that often celebrates noise, there’s something powerful about quiet strength.
So here’s to the men of Mount Juliet: the fathers, the husbands, the sons, the leaders, the builders. The ones who are leaving something better behind than what they found.
We see you. We appreciate you. And this issue is for you.
ELISE NEWKIRK, EDITORIAL COORDINATOR @MOUNTJULIETLIFESTYLE
June 2026
PUBLISHER
Logan NewKirk | logan.newkirk@citylifestyle.com
EDITORIAL COORDINATOR
Elise Newkirk | elise.newkirk@citylifestyle.com
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Elise Newkirk
CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS
Hunter Hart, Looking Glass Photography, Cassidy Polman, Hughston Clinic Orthopaedics, Mt. Juliet Chamber of Commerce, Taylor Brown, The Listening Room, Jeremy Hayes, Norm’s Amish Market, Elise Newkirk
Corporate Team
CEO Steven Schowengerdt
President Matthew Perry
COO David Stetler
CRO Jamie Pentz
CoS Janeane Thompson
AD DESIGNER Zach Miller
LAYOUT DESIGNER Antanette Ray
QUALITY CONTROL SPECIALIST Brandy Thomas
Learn
Proverbs 3:5-6
• More space for shorter wait times
• State-of-the-art facilities for more efficient and effective treatment
• On-site imaging and bracing services
• Expanded physical therapy and hand therapy facilities
• Next door to the newly built outpatient surgery center
Ann Beadle, RN, ACNP
Jonathan P. Cornelius, MD
William N. Melton, MD
Kristina Moore, PA-C
Shawn P. Mountain, DO
Jennifer M. O’Donnell, MD
Lucas B, Richie, MD Ankle | Arthroscopic Surgery | Hand, Wrist & Elbow | Hip | Joint Replacement Knee | Orthobiologics | Shoulder | Spine | Sports Medicine
JUNE 2026
city scene
WHERE NEIGHBORS CAN SEE AND BE SEEN
1: Boutique toy shop Oodle Lollies hosts official ribbon cutting with Mt. Juliet Chamber of Commerce. 2: Mount Juliet Christian Academy celebrates the ground breaking of their new practice facility. 3: BL Cleaning Service celebrates their new business with the Mt. Juliet Chamber of Commerce. 4: Bagel Barn celebrates its ribbon cutting with members of the Mt. Juliet Chamber of Commerce. 5: The i9 Stingers celebrate their last game (a win!) of the season. 6: Allie Burke (left) poses with attendees following one of her free community workout classes. 7: Hughston Clinic Orthopaedics expands to a new state-of-the-art facility in Lebanon - now open!
Want to be seen in the magazine? TAG YOUR
CASSIDY POLMAN
MT. JULIET CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
MT. JULIET CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
MT. JULIET CHAMBER OF COMMERCE MT.
Hughston Clinic Orthopaedics Expands Services In Lebanon
Hughston Clinic Orthopaedics has expanded its services in Lebanon with a new state-of-the-art medical office at 115 Willard Hagan Drive. The facility features 32 patient rooms - double the previous location - allowing for shorter wait times and faster returns to daily life. A newly built surgery center next door also offers convenient outpatient procedures close to home. Learn more at tn.hughston.com or call 615-547-6700.
Photography Courtesy of Hughston Clinic Orthopaedics
A LEGACY BUILT ON SONG
HOW MOUNT JULIET’S CHRIS BLAIR CREATED A SONGWRITER HAVEN IN THE HEART OF NASHVILLE
BY ELISE NEWKIRK PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF THE LISTENING ROOM
ARTICLE
The Listening Room
For more than two decades, The Listening Room Cafe has offered something rare in Music City: a place where the songs - and the stories behind them - take center stage.
For founder Chris Blair, the vision was never complicated.
“The vision was simple: to create a place where songwriters could share the stories behind the songs and where customers could experience something unique, featuring the best sound, great food and drinks and a relaxed yet nice atmosphere.”
Twenty years later, that vision hasn’t changed - it’s only grown.
“We treat our employees with respect and they treat the songwriters with respect. As long as we keep the doors open, we’ll keep doing it.”
“If you had asked me then whether we would be celebrating twenty years with a sold-out show at The Ryman, I would have laughed… but we are still trying to deliver that same experience.”
Before he was a venue owner, Blair was chasing his own artist career, playing five nights a week at Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge while learning songwriting.
“Playing Tootsie’s five nights a week, working the road on weekends, and trying
to fit in songwriters’ rounds in between left me feeling burnt out.”
That experience revealed the gap that sparked The Listening Room.
“I didn’t understand why a venue wouldn’t pay the songwriters, why they wouldn’t have better sound or better food… It frustrated me that we, the talent bringing in the crowds, were not the ones making the money.”
So he built something different.
“The Listening Room idea was born. A place that would hopefully fix that, pay the artists for their work, and offer great sound and better food.”
From the beginning, Blair was intentional about the experience on stage.
“We have one rule: the songs performed on our stage must have been written by the people singing them.”
That simple concept created something deeper for audiences.
Songwriters take the stage at The Listening Room
“There’s a distinct energy and peace in Mt. Juliet. We can sit on our back porch, watch deer run across the yard, just be still.”
“When you hear how, why and what the songs really meant to the people who created them, a song you have known for years can take on a completely different and more personal meaning.”
Over the years, Blair has had a front-row seat to countless careers taking off.
“I have watched songwriters who just moved to town progress to writing multiple #1 hits on radio… I have seen friends who started out barely paying rent walk across the stage to accept awards just a few years later.”
Some of those moments still feel surreal.
“I watched Chris Stapleton strum a few chords at a show once… then just a few months later, he was on stage at the awards show with Justin Timberlake and blew up.”
From Chris Stapleton to Morgan Wallen, Lainey Wilson and beyond, the list continues to grow. But for Blair, it’s never been about the names.
“It never gets old. I get to wake up every day and do what I love - pour into songwriters and aspiring artists and watch so many of them reach their dreams.”
In a city filled with venues, The Listening Room has managed not just to last, but to stand out.
“We put the songwriters first. That’s it.” It’s a philosophy rooted in experience.
“I know what it’s like to travel across the country in a van, then come home and still wonder how you will pay rent.”
That understanding shapes the culture behind the scenes.
“We treat our employees with respect and they treat the songwriters with respect. As long as we are blessed to keep the doors open, we'll keep doing it.”
While his work is centered in downtown Nashville, Blair’s home life is rooted in Mount Juliet.
“There's a distinct energy and peace in Mt. Juliet. We can sit on our back porch, watch deer run across the yard, just be still. My wife and my kids are my life.”
With the momentum of The Listening Room, Blair looks ahead to what’s next.
“I plan to make one more move, where I can finally own my own land and build this hotel/venue concept that can last for decades after I’m gone - still supporting songwriters and artists.”
And through it all, the mission hasn’t changed.
“I just hope that in the next 20 years I can still be doing what I love: giving guests a place to truly experience the stories behind the songs in a place they can’t wait to come back to.”
The Listening Room celebrates 20 years at The Ryman
Chris Blair
ARTICLE BY ELISE NEWKIRK PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF JEREMY HAYES
NOT FOR Sale
A Mount Juliet family protects land passed down through generations
In a town growing as quickly as Mount Juliet, it’s easy to assume progress always comes at the cost of the past.
New neighborhoods rise. Businesses expand. Land that once held stories becomes something new. But for Jeremy Hayes, some stories aren’t meant to be replaced. They’re meant to be protected.
For families like his, the land isn’t just a backdrop to life - it’s part of the family itself, holding memories, milestones, and moments that can’t be recreated once they’re gone.
Knowing his children are the fifth generation to be raised on their family farm is, as he puts it, “a feeling that’s hard to put into words… a deep mix of joy and pride.”
That pride isn’t rooted in convenience. In fact, it comes with sacrifice.
“Anyone who owns land like this will tell you - it’s hard work,” Hayes says. “Financially, it’s a real sacrifice… our money goes back into the farm, and I spend long hours away from my children tending to things that need doing.”
And yet, it’s exactly those long days that have given him some of the clearest glimpses into what this land truly means.
He recalls one moment from last summer, sitting on his tractor, glancing back across the field as his children played. For a brief second, time folded in on itself.
“I could see my grandfather playing in that very same spot when he was a boy,” he says. “That image hit me hard.”
Moments like that don’t just connect generations - they remind him that what he’s protecting isn’t just land, but a living history.
That’s the kind of legacy money can’t touch.
Still, money has tried.
Like many longtime landowners in Middle Tennessee, Hayes has been approached by developers offering millions for his property. And like anyone, he admits, it made him stop and think.
“When someone offers you millions of dollars… it stops you in your tracks,” he says.
But what followed wasn’t a business decision, it was a spiritual one.
“As I’ve watched our community steadily lose more farmland… I’ve found myself praying about what our family’s legacy will be,” Hayes explains.
Because for him, the question was never just about what he could gain - it was about what would be lost.
“Just another farm turned into a parking lot. Another piece of our community’s history wiped away and forgotten.”
At one point, Hayes even explored creative ways to preserve the land, working with the city to create a park for the public. But he withdrew that offer from consideration when he discovered that the contractual verbiage would allow a developer to purchase the land.
“At the end of the day, selling our family’s land is a road I’m simply not willing to go down,” he says.
“Some things matter more than money.”
For Hayes, that “something” is hard to quantify, but easy to feel.
He describes the property as “as close as we can get to heaven on earth.”
It’s in the quiet sunrises. The wildlife. The open space where his children run freely. The same space his grandfather once knew.
“I know change is inevitable,” he says. “But that small-town heart is what made Mt. Juliet special.”
The Hayes children - Claire and Grant
It’s the kind of peace that can’t be manufactured - only preserved.
“No check from a developer could ever come close to replacing that feeling,” he says. That perspective feels especially poignant in a town that has changed as rapidly as Mount Juliet.
Hayes remembers when the landscape looked very different: when Cracker Barrel and Waffle House were the landmarks, and a new gas station felt like a milestone.
“We all thought, ‘Wow, Mt. Juliet has finally made it,’” he says with a laugh.
He remembers sledding on hills that are now lined with restaurants. A time when “everybody knew everybody’s name.”
“I know change is inevitable,” he says. “But that small-town heart is what made Mt. Juliet special.”
Today, his concern isn’t growth itself - it’s what unchecked growth might cost.
“My big worry is that we’re slowly pushing longtime residents out of their homes,” he says, pointing to rising costs and infrastructure struggling to keep pace.
Even so, Hayes is quick to emphasize that his stance isn’t about telling others what to do.
“I never want to tell people what they should do with their own finances,” he says. “I don’t know the battles their family is fighting.”
Instead, his message is simpler - and far more personal.
“Life is short. When our time here is over, what are we leaving behind?”
For Hayes, the answer is rooted deep in both faith and heritage.
“I hope when the Lord calls me home, my children will understand why I chose not to take the easy road. This property is far more than just dirt under our feet. It’s our legacy.”
A younger Hayes with his parents
His family history stretches back generations - from Scotland’s Clan Hay to those who fought in the Revolutionary War. It’s a legacy he didn’t always fully appreciate, but one that now shapes how he lives.
“I hope my actions bring honor to our family name and to those who came before us,” he says.
And ultimately, his decision comes down to a truth that feels both simple and profound:
“Money eventually runs out, but they’re not making any more dirt.”
It’s why he’s chosen the harder path - the one that requires sacrifice, patience, and trust in something bigger than himself.
Because for Hayes, this land isn’t just property.
It’s a story.
It’s a promise.
And, if he has anything to say about it, it’s one that will continue for generations to come.
“I hope that when the Lord calls me home, my children will understand why I chose not to take the easy road,” he says. “This property is far more than just dirt under our feet. It’s our family’s roots, our story, and our legacy.”
Hugh Gwynne Hayes and his mother, Frances Hayes
Grant and Claire Hayes
Hayes with his wife, Candace
FINDING THE FUNNY
How a Mount Juliet comedian finds purpose, perspective, and humor in life’s most unexpected moments
ARTICLE BY ELISE NEWKIRK PHOTOGRAPHY BY TAYLOR BROWN
When Aaron Weber first stepped onto a Nashville stage in 2015, there was no grand plan - just a mic, a room, and the realization that comedy didn’t come with a gatekeeper. “You kind of just have to start doing it,” he says.
More than a decade later, Weber is still doing just that - only now, the stakes feel a little different.
Inaugural Prader Silly benefit in 2025
“For the first time, there’s somebody truly relying on my comedy going well.”
In the summer of 2024, Aaron and his wife Lucy traded the pace of Nashville for something a little slower, settling in Mount Juliet. For a couple deeply rooted in the comedy world - Aaron as a performer and co-host of Nate Bargatze’s The Nateland Podcast, and Lucy as a longtime force behind the scenes at Zanies Comedy Club - it might seem like an unexpected move. But for them, it felt like coming home.
“We love the pace of it,” Aaron says. “It’s close enough to Nashville when you need it, but far enough away that it feels like a real community.”
Part of what drew them in wasn’t just the town itself, but the people in it. Lucy has spent more than a decade working alongside the owners of Zanies, who also own Breeden's Orchard - a local staple that has become something more personal for the Webers. What began as a professional relationship has grown into something that feels more like family, and being nearby was both intentional and grounding.
That sense of community became more meaningful than they could have imagined.
Just months after the move, the couple welcomed their daughter, Olive. What followed wasn’t the straightforward newborn experience many expect. After a relatively typical pregnancy (with a few manageable complications), Olive’s early days raised quiet questions. She struggled with feeding, showed low muscle tone, and spent time in the NICU before eventually coming home with a feeding tube.
Answers didn’t come quickly.
After months of testing and uncertainty, Olive was diagnosed with Prader-Willi syndrome at six months old - a rare genetic condition that affects muscle tone, development, and metabolism.
For Lucy, the journey required both advocacy and patience. “We just kept feeling like something wasn’t right,” she recalls. “Eventually, we pushed for broader testing, and that’s what gave us answers.”
All the performers at the inaugural Prader Silly benefit in 2025
For Aaron, the experience has quietly reshaped everything - including his comedy.
“I try to talk about what’s going on in my life,” he says. “And this… it’s going to seep in there on some level.”
On stage, that might look like stories from the NICU or the surreal reality of navigating a diagnosis no parent anticipates. But underneath the humor is something deeper: perspective.
“For the first time, there’s somebody truly relying on my comedy going well,” he says. “Before, if I bombed, Lucy would be fine. Now? It matters in a different way.”
Parenthood has a way of reframing priorities, and for both Aaron and Lucy, that shift has been undeniable.
Lucy, who has spent years building a career in comedy management and now helps oversee multiple club locations, describes the change simply: “My job used to be my whole life. Now, I can close my laptop and be present. You realize work is important, but it’s not everything.”
Of course, balance doesn’t happen in isolation.
“We’re very lucky,” she says. “It really does take a village.”
Between demanding careers, travel schedules, and Olive’s ongoing care and therapy, the Webers rely heavily on a large, strong support system - something their life in Mount Juliet has both provided and strengthened.
“There are kids everywhere, families all around, people outside walking their dogs,” Aaron says. “When the storms came through recently, you really saw the community show up. It confirmed we’re exactly where we should be.”
That sense of belonging now extends beyond their neighborhood and into something more purposeful.
In addition to navigating life as new parents, the Webers have stepped into advocacy - using both their platform and their story to raise awareness for Prader-Willi syndrome. This fall, they’ll host “Prader Silly: A Night of Rare Laughs,” a comedy fundraiser benefiting Prader-Willi Syndrome Association USA.
John Christ performs at the inaugural Prader Silly benefit in 2025
Nate Bargatze performs at the inaugural Prader Silly benefit in 2025
“We’re very lucky. It really does take a village. Between our careers and Olive’s care, we rely on a strong support systemand Mount Juliet has only strengthened that in ways we couldn’t have imagined.”
Set for September 30, the event will bring together comedians and community members for a night that blends laughter with purposea reflection of how the Webers themselves are learning to hold both at once. While last year’s event quickly sold out, this year’s gathering aims to go even further, not only raising funds but building awareness and connection around a condition many people have never heard of.
For Aaron, it’s another example of how life and comedy continue to intertwine.
For Lucy, it’s about something even bigger: connection, awareness, and hope.
And for Olive - the little girl at the center of it all - it’s a story still being written, one that’s already reshaping not just her parents’ lives, but the community around them.
In Mount Juliet, the Webers found more than just a place to live. They found space - to grow, to adapt, and to lean into both the funny and the hard.
And sometimes, that’s exactly where the best stories begin.
Top: Fiona Cauley performs at the inaugural Prader Silly benefit in 2025
Bottom: Aaron performs at the inaugural Prader Silly benefit in 2025
AN EXCERPT FROM EPISODE 6 OF SHARE THE LIFESTYLE, A CITY LIFESTYLE PODCAST
Photographer: Brittany Dawn Short
Creative Director: Jen Birn
Stylist: Stephanie Coultress O’Neill
Location: Hotel Saint Cecilia, Austin, TX
MIKE JOHNSON HAS BUILT HIS LIFE AROUND ONE QUIETLY RADICAL IDEA: THE STANDARD YOU SET PRIVATELY IS THE ONLY ONE THAT MATTERS.
After eight years in the Air Force, a celebrated run on national television, and a health crisis abroad that sent him deep into supply chains and ingredient certifications most founders never touch, the result is Oshun — a luxury ritual brand built on provenance you can trace and integrity you can verify. In an exclusive conversation for the Share the Lifestyle podcast, Mike shares what it actually takes to build something worth putting your name on. Read the highlights below, then scan the QR code for the full episode.
Q: YOU BECAME A FAN FAVORITE ON THE BACHELORETTE AND THEN LEFT THE SPOTLIGHT. YOU MOVED TO MEXICO, LEARNED SPANISH, THEN COSTA RICA, AND BUILT A COMPANY. WHAT DID THAT EXPERIENCE TEACH YOU ABOUT HUMAN BEHAVIOR?
A: “If you’re a good person going in, that shows. If you’re not, that shows too. I also learned that people form this parasocial relationship with you — they assume things about you. When in all actuality, different circumstances bring out different parts of who you are. I was on TV trying to find love. The kindness people were showing after felt a bit fake, because they wanted to be a part of something that isn’t who I am individually, but a part of what they saw on TV. And so I had to get away from everybody and everything and the noise.”
THE QUIET STANDARD:
MIKE JOHNSON
“Too many people have prayed for me. So I’ve got to get up and do the walking.”
— Mike Johnson
Q: YOU JOINED THE AIR FORCE RIGHT OUT OF COMMUNITY COLLEGE. WHAT WERE YOU ACTUALLY RUNNING TOWARD?
A: “There was something in me that was saying: I’m not living up to my full potential. I was being a follower. My uncle said, ‘What’s going to make you become an adult the fastest?’ I said, obviously, the military. The Air Force broadened my thought process more than anything. We’re so caught up in our own perception — when you learn to understand different people’s perspectives, it adds to you in so many ways.”
Q: WITH OSHUN, YOU OWN YOUR MANUFACTURING, YOU EMPLOY A CHEMIST, EVERY PRODUCT HAS A BATCH NUMBER TRACEABLE TO ITS ORIGIN DATE. WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO GO THAT DEEP WITH THE BRAND?
A: “The EU bans 1,100 ingredients in personal care products. The U.S. bans nine. That’s my starting point. Oftentimes, it might be the same ingredient, but it comes from a place where it doesn’t have the highest purity. And 60% of what we put on our skin is absorbed. Every product Oshun makes carries a batch number that goes back to the exact day it was created — I can show you every single supplier, the date, the origin. I own more than one part of the supply chain because that’s the only way I can stand behind what’s in the bottle.”
This conversation is just the beginning. Mike goes deeper into why he’s buying land up north, the family in the Philippines who prayed over his factory floor, and what he’d tell every person ready to stop performing and start building. Scan the QR code for the full, exclusive City Lifestyle interview on the Share the Lifestyle podcast.
MIKE JOHNSON
Rooted Right Here
For decades, Norm’s Amish Market has quietly preserved Mount Juliet’s small-town sense of community
For several years, drivers along Lebanon Road have slowed down for Norm's Amish Market - sometimes for fresh tomatoes, sometimes for flowers, sometimes simply because it feels like one of the last places in Mount Juliet where life still moves a little slower.
What many people don’t realize is that Norm’s isn’t just a roadside produce stand: it’s years of hard work, family sacrifice, early mornings, changing locations, and a husband-and-wife team that quietly built something generations of locals have come to love.
Norm’s roots in produce go back even further than the stand itself. “My father was in it,” Norm says simply, explaining that the business became a natural continuation of family tradition.
Since first opening in 1989, the stand has lived several lives across Mount Juliet. Norm recalls operating near the old Green Hill Market before road construction eventually forced them to relocate. Later came another market further down the road, then eventually the current location many locals now recognize by its colorful rows of flowers and seasonal produce.
ARTICLE BY ELISE NEWKIRK | PHOTOGRAPHY
COURTESY OF NORM’S AMISH MARKET
Through all the changes, one thing has stayed consistent: the work.
“It’s hard work,” Norm admits while gesturing toward rows of flowers outside the stand. “Every flower you see out there had to be watered today.”
And yet, despite the long days and physical demands, there’s no bitterness in the way he talks about the business - only gratitude and quiet pride. “It’s been good to us,” he says. “We enjoy it.”
That appreciation seems to be shared by the community around him. During our conversation, customers stopped by not only to shop, but to chat - the kind of interaction increasingly rare in a fast-growing town. For many locals, Norm’s has become woven into family traditions: picking up pumpkins in the fall, grabbing flowers in the spring, or making a stop on the way home simply because it feels familiar.
Norm proudly holds his 2026 Best Nursery/Garden Center Award
There’s something comforting about places like Norm’s. Maybe it’s the handwritten signs, the rows of bright flowers greeting customers in the spring, or the feeling that someone genuinely remembers you when you stop by. In an era where convenience often wins, businesses like this remind people why shopping local still matters. They create connection. They create familiarity. They create community.
I understood that feeling immediately. Years ago, before Logan
and I’s wedding, I bought dozens of small white pumpkins from Norm’s to use as table decorations for our November reception. Somehow, that feels fitting. Places like this naturally become part of people’s milestones and memories.
After more than four decades in Mount Juliet, Norm understands just how much the city has grown. But businesses like Norm's Produce prove there’s still tremendous value in supporting the small, family-run places that help a community feel personal, welcoming, and connected.
In many ways, Norm's Amish Market feels like a hidden gem hiding in plain sight: the kind of place people point out proudly to newcomers, hoping it never quite loses its small-town charm.
And judging by the steady stream of loyal customers still pulling into the gravel lot, it’s clear Mount Juliet agrees.
Summer Street Corn Dip
A fresh, flavor-packed summer dip perfect for cookouts, porch nights and pool days
ARTICLE AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY
ELISE NEWKIRK
Every summer seems to have that recipe - the one friends request over and over, the one that disappears first at every gathering, the one people casually hover around with a tortilla chip in hand pretending they’re “just trying one more bite.” For our family this year, it’s Summer Street Corn Dip.
I first found the recipe during a late-night Pinterest scroll and immediately saved it after seeing the words easy and street corn in the same sentence. The original recipe comes from food blogger All Recipes Yummy, and after making it once for friends, I quickly realized the dramatic title wasn’t exaggerating. This dip truly does steal the party.
Inspired by traditional Mexican street corn - also known as elote - the recipe combines sweet corn, lime, cheese, chili seasoning and creamy ingredients into something bright, flavorful and almost impossible to stop eating. It somehow feels both fresh and comforting, which makes it perfect for June gatherings: cookouts, porch hangs, pool days, lake weekends or casual nights at home.
What I love most is that it tastes impressive without requiring much effort. You can throw it together quickly, serve it warm, and pair it with tortilla chips, crackers or fresh vegetables. It’s the kind of recipe that ends up in the middle of a crowded kitchen counter while friends linger, kids run in and out, and everyone keeps going back for “just one more” scoop.
Ingredients:
• 4 cups fresh corn kernels, about 5–6 ears of corn
• 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp chili powder
• ½ tsp smoked paprika
• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper, optional
• ½ tsp salt
• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• ½ cup sour cream
• 2 tbsp mayonnaise
• Juice of 1 lime
• 2 tbsp salted butter
• 1 tsp chili powder
• ¼ cup crumbled cotija cheese
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
• Extra grilled corn kernels, optional for garnish
Directions:
1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add chopped onion and cook for 3–4 minutes, until translucent. Stir in garlic and cook for another 30 seconds, until fragrant.
2. Add corn kernels, chili powder, smoked paprika, cayenne and salt. Cook for 5–6 minutes, until the corn is tender and slightly charred.
3. Reduce heat to low. Stir in softened cream cheese and sour cream until smooth and creamy. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
4. In a small pan, melt butter and mix in 1 teaspoon chili powder. Set aside. In a bowl, combine mayonnaise and lime juice.
5. Transfer the corn mixture to a serving bowl. Drizzle lime mayo over the top, then lightly pour the spiced butter over the dip. Sprinkle with cotija cheese and fresh cilantro. Add extra grilled corn kernels for garnish, if desired.
6. Serve warm with tortilla chips, crackers or fresh vegetables.
My biggest tip? Don’t skip the fresh lime or cotija cheese. The lime brightens everything up, while the salty cheese gives the dip that street corn flavor that keeps everyone coming back for more. And fair warning: if you bring this to one gathering, don’t be surprised when people start requesting it at every event afterward.
ARTICLE BY KIM HILL
GUYS’ GUYS’ GETAWAYS GETAWAYS
FOUR GREAT PLACES FOR GROOVES, GRUB AND GAWKING WITH BEST BROS
Has it been too long since your tribe gathered to rib and one-up each other as only guys can do? To help plan a getaway for just the guys, City Lifestyle gathered an eclectic list of locations offering tons of things to see, do and experience. Here’s hoping the only ribs one will get on this guys’ getaway are the kind to hold in hands while barbecue sauce drips onto shirts.
Scottsdale/Phoenix
There’s no other tournament on the PGA Tour like the Waste Management Phoenix Open and no hole like the legendary 16th, where 20,000 boisterous fans boo the tee shots that miss the green. The other 51 weeks of the year, golfers can play TPC Scottsdale or try one of more than 200 courses in the Scottsdale area, a top golf destination. Another winter event is the BarrettJackson Collector Car Auction. Even if one’s only collector car was a Hot Wheels, it’s a blast to peruse the acres of autos for
sale before heading inside to watch the unique or renowned cars crossing the auction block. When it’s time to get moving, the strenuous hike up Camelback Mountain in nearby Phoenix is a bucket-list item. Need a more moderate trail? Experience the same magic of the majestic saguaro cactus in the McDowell Sonoran Preserve.
New Orleans
It’s always a party in New Orleans (NOLA), especially when it comes to festivals, many of them centered around music. Folk to funk, gospel to jazz, zydeco, blues, African and other musical styles are celebrated on the Jazz and Heritage Festival’s 12 stages. If free admission is more desired, don’t miss the French Quarter Festival featuring local musicians and food vendors representing dozens of New Orleans restaurants. Part of the fun of Mid-City Bayou Boogaloo is admiring revelers’ watercraft, some of them homemade just for this festival on the banks of Bayou Saint John. If one of the festivals can’t be attended, there’s still plenty of NOLA live music, particularly the jazz clubs on Frenchmen Street. And when a break from crowds is needed, take a guided swamp tour. Kitschy, yes, but it’s a hoot to cruise around on a swamp buggy while looking for alligators.
Bowling Green, Kentucky
“America’s Sports Car” is produced at the Bowling Green Assembly Plant, where visitors can join guided tours to observe Corvettes being built and learn the fascinating history of these sexy autos. See examples of all Corvette generations at the National Corvette Museum. And if the need for speed is still felt, a few times a year Xtreme Experience offers driving or ride-along events in exotics like Ferraris or Lamborghinis at the National Corvette Museum Motorsports Park. After getting all revved up, cool down at Mammoth Cave National Park, the longest known cave system in the world and a World Heritage Site, where guided tours take participants through tunnels humans have used for thousands of years. And after all this touring, the Bowling Green area is the southernmost point in the Kentucky Bourbon Trail of distilleries.
Austin
Live music rules here, with iconic venues such as Antone’s, The Continental Club, the White Horse and hundreds of other locations, from dive bars to big stages. From rock and blues to country and urban, music is heard every night of the week (and many afternoons as well). When guys are hungry, there are tons of barbeque and Tex-Mex joints. Unique food trucks are truly a thing here, with nearly 2,000 food trailers in town. Burn some calories biking or running the Southern Walnut Creek Trail or one of many paved paths. Get out on the water in a kayak, canoe or stand-up paddleboard on Lake Travis or Lady Bird Lake. Take a dip in the historic Barton Springs Pool, where the underground springs keep the water around 68 degrees all year.
Pickle In A
ARTICLE BY PAULI REEP
PICKLE-BRINED CHICKEN WINGS SOAR TO THE NEXT LEVEL WITH ALABAMA WHITE SAUCE.
I’ve spent years searching for the perfect wing flavor, never quite satisfied, until I heard a podcast suggestion: brining chicken wings in pickle juice. It sounded strange at first, but it yields incredibly tender and flavorful wings! Since then, I save pickle juice from every jar I buy just to recreate these beloved wings. If I run out of pickle juice, olive juice works too. I air fry mine, but if you don’t have an air fryer, cook them as you normally would. Don’t forget to toss them in a buttery dill sauce and try the Alabama white BBQ sauce for an extra layer of goodness!
Pickle Juice Brined Wings
INGREDIENTS
• 2 pounds chicken wings (flats and drumettes)
• Pickle juice - enough to cover wings
• 1 – 2 teaspoons garlic salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• 6 tablespoons butter
• A few dashes of hot sauce
• 2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Place chicken wings in a non-reactive container and pour pickle juice over chicken wings until completely covered.
2. Place it in the fridge and let it marinate, covered, for at least 8 hours.
3. Drain wings, discard pickle juice, and completely pat wings dry.
4. Put dried wings in a bowl and sprinkle with garlic salt and pepper. Mix well.
5. Place wings in an air fryer basket, being careful not to crowd. Cook at 400 degrees for 28 minutes, turning every 8 minutes until crispy. If you don’t have an air fryer, bake them in the oven for 35 - 40 minutes at 400 degrees, flipping halfway through.
6. Melt the butter and add a few splashes of hot sauce of your choice and mix in a bowl. Add wings and completely cover with butter mixture. Sprinkle with fresh dill and toss a few times, and serve with my white barbeque sauce.
Alabama White BBQ Sauce
INGREDIENTS
• 1 ½ cups mayonnaise (I prefer Duke’s)
• ¼ cup water
• ¼ cup white wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon pepper, coarsely ground
• 1 tablespoon Creole mustard
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 teaspoons prepared horseradish
INSTRUCTIONS
Whisk all ingredients together until blended. Dip your pickle juicebrined wings in this sauce and taste the joy! Store in the refrigerator for 1 - 2 weeks.
JUNE 2026
events
A SELECTION OF UPCOMING LOCAL EVENTS
JUNE 4TH-7TH
CMA Fest presented by SoFi
1 Titans Way, Nashville, Tenn. | 9:00 AM
CMA Fest presented by SoFi is the Ultimate Country Music Fan Experience in Nashville, TN! Buy a ticket for Nissan Stadium, visit one of the many free stages near Broadway, featuring some of country music's hottest talent, or purchase a day pass for Fan Fair X (Music City Center). For more information, visit cmafest.com.
JUNE 5TH
Movie in the Park - 'Lilo & Stitch'
Charlie Daniels Park - 1075 Charlie Daniels Pkwy, Mount Juliet, Tenn. | 8:00 PM
Pack a lawn chair, a blanket, and some snacks, and grab a spot on the lawn at Charlie Daniels Park to watch 2025 Disney hit 'Lilo & Stitch.'
JUNE 6TH-7TH
Baby Animals & Berry Treats
Breeden's Orchard - 631 Beckwith Rd, Mount Juliet, Tenn. | 9:00 AM
Spring is sweeter at Breeden’s Orchard - especially when baby animals and fresh berries are involved! Join Breeden's Orchard for Baby Animals & Berries, a joyful farm experience where families can meet adorable baby animals, explore the orchard, and enjoy the start of berry season. For more information, visit breedensorchard.com.
JUNE 11TH-14TH
Bonaroo Music & Arts Festival
Bonaroo Farm - Manchester, Tenn.
Catch Skrillex, The Strokes, Teddy Swims, The Neighbourhood, Noah Kahan, Role Model, Kesha, and more at this year's Bonaroo Music & Arts Festival in Manchester. 1-day, 2-day, and 4-day tickets are now available. For more information, visit Bonaroo.com.
JUNE 13TH
Lavender Day at Little Star Farm
9138 Briley Road, Smyrna, TN | 10:00 AM
Bring the whole family and enjoy a relaxing day at the farm. We will also have wagons available to help tote the kids around the farm. Lavender U-Picks , Lavender Bouquet Bundles, Dried Lavender Sachets, Fresh Flower Bouquets, Lemonade & Tea, Photo Ops with a Lavender Arch, Picnic Areas Under Our Oak Trees, $5 farm entry. Kids 2 & under free.
JUNE 20TH & 21ST
Father's Day Fun Fair
Breeden's Orchard - 631 Beckwith Road, Mount Juliet, Tenn. | 10:00 AM
Celebrate Dad with a day of play at Breeden’s Orchard. Father’s Day Fun Fair is a family-friendly farm celebration filled with games, kid-approved activities, and plenty of space to run, laugh, and make memories together. Bring the kids, grab something tasty from the market, and enjoy a relaxed day outdoors designed to celebrate dads and caregivers of all kinds.
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