Audra and Nick Guidry have opened a variety of eating places over the course of their careers, so that they’re not shocked when folks praise their meals. In any case, they’re identified for being among the many finest bakers (her) and open-fire cooks (him) within the Southeast — Nick’s Instagram deal with is @cookswithfire.
However one thing completely different has been taking place over the previous 12 months.
“My spouse and I discuss this gorgeous steadily,” Nick says. “It’s nearly odd, after we open one thing just like the cocktail bar. Final week alone, I used to be thanked no less than two dozen occasions. The hospitality world is so laborious. It’s so robust, mentally, emotionally and bodily. To open one thing and have folks be grateful that you simply opened it and that you simply invested within the metropolis, that’s actually type of rewarding.”
The most recent batch of gratitude the couple acquired was for Olivia Craft Cocktail and Oyster Bar, which opened in Lebanon in late November. Olivia is known as for the Guidrys’ daughter and has a vibe, like her, that’s each female and robust, Audra says. The bar joins the Guidrys’ portfolio of different eating places and bars, together with East Nashville’s Pelican & Pig and Sluggish Hand Espresso and Bakeshop subsequent door, Sluggish Hand Bakehouse in Lebanon and Leon’s Well-known Deli, which they personal with a enterprise companion in Mt. Juliet. They’ve been at work on Juniper, which will probably be positioned in downtown Lebanon, since 2022 (they suppose 2025 would be the 12 months Juniper lastly opens its doorways), in addition to another tasks that aren’t but prepared for public dialogue.
The couple moved to Lebanon lower than three years in the past, on the lookout for someplace to boost their household. “Consuming and ingesting out is our passion,” Audra explains — however after they obtained to Lebanon, they observed there weren’t loads of unbiased eating places for his or her common date nights. They didn’t have as many choices for a superb pastry and a cup of espresso as that they had in Nashville.
“You shouldn’t should drive 45 minutes to get these issues,” Audra says.
Lebanon Mayor Rick Bell had observed the identical factor and couldn’t agree extra. When he took the oath of workplace in December 2020, he unveiled a plan that included attracting extra eating places to the suburb, which is 30 miles east of downtown Nashville.
“An important a part of that endeavor has been to encourage and help native entrepreneurs,” Bell says. “That is every little thing from serving to them discover areas to creating a straightforward solution to navigate by way of the allowing course of and having an incentive bundle for our historic sq..”
Bell and his spouse beforehand had dined at Pelican & Pig and have been excited a few restaurant of its caliber coming to Lebanon. “One restaurant would have been nice,” Bell says. “I had no concept that they wished to open a number of ideas. Sluggish Hand has been an enormous hit. Olivia simply opened and has shortly turn out to be a sizzling spot on our sq.. They’re at present engaged on Juniper, which I’m actually enthusiastic about.”
Lebanon financial growth director Sarah Haston notes that there are just a few different unbiased eating places each on the historic sq. and within the bigger historic district, together with a brewery, a sitdown restaurant with a bourbon bar, a tea home and a number of other different salad and healthy-eating spots. Most have opened since 2019.
Audra makes use of the Sluggish Hand Bakehouse in Lebanon to organize baked items and pastries for all of their eating places (the East Nashville Sluggish Hand doesn’t have room for all of the gear), and every little thing is then baked on website the place it’s served. Pastries are rustic, Audra says, in that they don’t seem to be extremely adorned muffins however extra homestyle baked items. Her biscuits, cinnamon rolls and sea salt chocolate chip cookies are notably well-liked.
Whereas the Guidrys have a status as flying beneath the radar, notably in comparison with different unbiased restaurant homeowners, their work is hardly a secret. Pelican & Pig was featured on Netflix’s Any person Feed Phil when the present got here to Nashville in 2021. The restaurant is well-loved by of us within the neighborhood and really useful by Airbnb homeowners within the space, bringing in vacationers in addition to locals. Despite the fact that it opened in 2019, it nonetheless might be laborious to nab a desk. The early thought behind Pelican & Pig was a nod to their roots (Nick’s in Louisiana and Audra’s in Florida), with every of their culinary specialties.
Juniper may even be targeted on Nick’s beloved open-fire cooking model, and also will characteristic seafood and handmade pastas. Possibly a pizza oven. “I feel in Nick’s coronary heart there’s all the time going to be some type of dwell fireplace,” Audra says. The house has uncovered brick and a design that honors the constructing’s historical past.
The couple additionally co-owns Leon’s in Mt. Juliet with enterprise companion Hunter Briley. Each Briley and Nick have Cajun roots — Briley’s grandfather is from Baton Rouge, La., and Nick is from New Orleans. The result’s a New Orleans-esque lunch spot with muffuletta and different sandwiches, plus sandwich fixings served atop loaded fries. Nick had hoped to have pastrami on the Leon’s menu (and did so briefly), however the prep was an excessive amount of for the small house. He did serve pastrami at a Pelican & Pig pop-up in 2024 and guarantees that’s not the final we’ll hear about pastrami from him. Bread for Leon’s po’boys is from Leidenheimer Bakery Co. in New Orleans.
Sluggish Hand had been positioned on tenth Avenue South. When the owner for that property bought, the Guidrys checked out different properties and noticed the location that turned Sluggish Hand Espresso and Bakeshop on Gallatin Avenue in East Nashville. The adjoining house was such a superb deal, Audra says, they didn’t need to let it go, and that’s when Pelican & Pig got here to be. On the time, Sluggish Hand was a bit little bit of an outlier in its location. Now Nick estimates there are greater than 15 espresso outlets in a one-mile radius.
Reflecting on such modifications helps the couple think about future tasks. “You begin eager about, ‘What does the market want? What do I need to do for one, and two, what does the market want?’” says Nick. “And you then consider what, logistically, you may make cash on. We’ve obtained a laundry record, in all probability of 5 to 10 completely different ideas we need to do. My mind is simply continually transferring.”
