Memories of J.C. Holdway from his sister, Juanita Holdway Evans; Chef Joseph Lenn; and her daughter, Emily Lenn. Fred Saucepan shares Joe and Janette Carter’s Chow Chow recipe and kitchen memories.

Today, I went to the deep freeze and pulled out a recording that I made in 2016 with Chef Joseph Lenn, Joseph’s mother (Emily Lenn), and a late friend of mine, Juanita Evans, who was Joseph Lenn’s grandmother and the sister of J.C. Holdway.

J.C. Holdway is the namesake of the downtown Knoxville restaurant created by Chef Joseph Lenn and named after his Uncle Joe.

The restaurant, J.C. Holdway, has been in the news lately, receiving the prestigious designation of “Recommended” by the renowned Michelin Guide in its inaugural regional publication of restaurants in the Southeast.
Chef Lenn is also a James Beard Award–winning chef.

I thought it would be a great time to play this recording we made together before he opened his restaurant. I am an artist, and I wanted to paint a portrait of Uncle Joe as a kind of encouraging gift to Chef Lenn before the restaurant was created. You may have seen that painting, along with my portraits of Allan Benton, Eugenia Duke, Bill Best, and John Coykendall at J.C. Holdway.

We also hear a recording by Fred Saucepan with memories from Janette and Joe Carter (children of A.P. and Sara Carter of the original band The Carter Family) as he shares their recipe for Chow Chow.

And I share news of the Resilient Farmer Fund fundraiser concert tonight (Nov. 15, 2025) at the Paramount Theatre in Bristol, TN/VA. Doors open at 6, and music starts at 7 p.m.