Southern Harvest preparing to open at the end of December

Teddy Gentry of Alabama is partnering with Michael and Crystal Goss, the former operators of the Moonlight Bistro in Mentone and the Sunshine Cafe in Hammondville. Together they are opening a new sit-down restaurant at the top of Alabama Highway 35 on Lookout Mountain.

It is located at 1907 Scenic Road East, across from Dollar General, where The Smokin’ Moose and J.T.’s Fishhouse were formerly housed.

Crystal Goss said they hope to open Southern Harvest on Dec. 28.

“The menu will include Italian food, steaks, a little bit of seafood and a lot of Southern comfort foods. It’s a lot of our favorites from the menus of Moonlight Bistro and Sunshine Cafe, plus some new items,” Goss said.

Diners can expect the doors to be open Wednesday through Sunday, with breakfast offered only on Saturdays and Sundays.

“On Wednesday nights, we plan to offer an all-you-can-eat pasta, salad and bread - like a church special - starting at 4:30 p.m.,” Goss said.

Entertainment will sometimes be included with the meal. Goss explained that “Gentry plans to recruit some of the songwriters he knows from Nashville to make the trip to Fort Payne from time-to-time.”

Gentry brings not only country music celebrity power to the enterprise, but also his premium grass-fed, organic beef via Bent Tree Farms, which he started after receiving his first check from RCA records in 1980 for $61,000 - then, promptly invested it by purchasing 60 acres from his grandfather.

Gentry’s band mate and cousin, Randy Owen, is also a long-time cattleman who named his ranch, Tennessee River Music, as tribute to Alabama’s first number one single, “Tennessee River”.

Today, he and wife, Kelly, remain active cattle farmers, specializing in Hereford and Angus cattle at TRM along with son-in-law and daughter, John and Randa Starnes.

“All of [Southern Harvest’s] beef will be sourced from Teddy’s, or Randy’s, farms except for specialty items that have to be ordered. “It will all be wagyu and grass-fed beef. On Fridays and Saturdays, we will have steaks and chops,” Goss said.

The Goss’s also own another venture with Teddy - The Blue Ribbon Chili food truck. “Teddy loves chili,” Goss added.

The Blue Ribbon Chili name is no hyperbole, either. Their chili is a 10-time blue-ribbon winner.

The Blue Ribbon Chili food truck operates out of the parking lot of the Alabama Fan Club daily, Monday through Friday.