To really care about what a family is having for dinner is a human touch only someone like Daisy King could sustain through two generations of customers. Step inside Miss Daisy’s Kitchen on Hillsboro Road and life takes on new meaning. Instantly, she asks “What’s for dinner?” as if she knows just how full your day has been juggling kids, work, or life’s endless list of chores.

 

Chicken Divan. Hearty Beef Casserole. Company Meatloaf. Turkey Tetrazzini. Any of these could be a game changer, she will insist. But before you can make a decision, Daisy wants to know “How is everybody?” You sense immediately that her interest in your kitchen table is more about you than the food you haven’t prepared. That’s because like many Southern characters, Daisy makes a lasting impression, one of perpetual joy. And, that joy is offered unselfishly to those she meets. Daisy knows that any number of crises can leave folks overwhelmed and looking for sustenance and she wants to help.

 

Yes, Daisy in all her southern elegance has donned the covers of books, spoken to culinary groups in resort towns, sat for numerous media interviews, and catered for corporate executives and more than one governor of our state. All of these opportunities came because Daisy King is a gifted entrepreneur whose introduction to the food industry began while she was being raised by her grandparents on their Georgia farm.

 

Before becoming a Tennessee household name for traditional Southern cuisine, Daisy King was a student of home economics. Today, Belmont University should present her with an alumni award from the Jack Massey School of Business for taking her education degree and ingeniously creating a beloved brand for Tennessee. Beginning with her first Franklin venture with Calvin and Marilyn Lehew in 1974, Daisy King has captured the hearts of her guests through their taste buds. In later years, she opened her fine dining restaurants in Green Hills and downtown Nashville’s Church Street Centre. Along the way, Daisy learned quickly how to leave a real lasting impression. So, the little yellow cookbook, Miss Daisy’s Tea Room was born and is now in its 50th year of publication.

 

In 1996, Tennessee’s Bicentennial was the catalyst for Miss Daisy Celebrates Tennessee, featuring the stories of iconic names in the food business from all ninety-five counties, a tribute to the Volunteer State’s 200th birthday.

 

To be an author is to be a speaker, and this Daisy has mastered. At the height of her career, she held the sales record for the most cookbooks sold in a QVC Network launch where she in her magnanimous way held the attention of a buying audience. Daisy’s love of food and cooking is surpassed only by her love of people. She truly enjoys supporting the people who have joined her in making meals a heartfelt enterprise. If Williamson County is known for its incredible hospitality, one might look to Daisy King who really does want to know “What’s for dinner?”