Our Team | Meet the People Behind J.C. Holdway

Photo Credit: Beall + Thomas Photography

JOSEPH LENN Chef + Owner

Chef Joseph Lenn, a native of Knoxville, has always had a deep love for East Tennessee. Food has played a major role in the lives of his family members, including his immediate family, as well as his grandparents and great-grandparents, many of whom grew up farming in East Tennessee.

Joseph found his way into the kitchen primarily due to his curiosity. He recalls that one of his first cooking lessons from his mother was simply put, “just don’t burn them.” His interest in cooking heightened after high school while working at Butler & Bailey Market in Knoxville. Quality ingredients from the market led him to cook for friends and family after work, and it was the enjoyment of these gatherings that led him to the decision to attend culinary school.

Joseph left East Tennessee in 1999 to attend Johnson and Wales University in Charleston, SC. His professional cooking career began following his first year of culinary school, when he accepted an internship under Chef John Fleer at Blackberry Farm. During his second year at JWU, Joseph began working for Chef Robert Carter at Charleston’s Peninsula Grill, where he remained for three years. While there, he cooked alongside Sean Brock, who invited him to be on the opening team at The Hermitage Hotel’s Capitol Grill in Nashville, TN, which he happily accepted.

After two years in Nashville, Joseph longed to return to East TN, and he was able to work with Chef John Fleer again at Blackberry Farm. Soon he was promoted to Sous Chef, and after four years in a variety of roles, Joseph became the Executive Chef of The Barn at Blackberry Farm—one of only four chefs ever to hold that prestigious title. He is the only one of the four to win the James Beard Award for Best Chef: Southeast and the only one to go on to open a restaurant in Knoxville. During his tenure, he was also named a Grand Chef by Relais & Châteaux. While many of his former team members have since opened restaurants of their own, Joseph’s leadership at Blackberry Farm and continued work in East Tennessee reflect a distinct and lasting contribution to the region’s culinary identity.

He chose the Daylight building in downtown Knoxville, at the corner of Union Avenue and Walnut Street, one block from Market Square. Joseph has had his eye on this space, a former photography studio, since cooking on the sidewalk at the location for a dinner honoring close friend Allan Benton in 2011. In 2016 he opened J.C. Holdway (named after a special uncle), which celebrates foods from the Southeast, cooked by wood-fire. Since opening, J.C. Holdway has earned widespread acclaim — recognized by The New York Times, Esquire, Garden & Gun, Southern Living, and Eater as one of America’s standout restaurants — underscoring Chef Lenn’s signature blend of Southern tradition and refined technique.

ADAM MARKS

General Manager

JASON DROTAR

Wine Director

HAYDEN HALL

Lead Bartender

MIRANDA VAN HOOSE

Lead Trainer

SIMEON BALL

Lead Server

AUSTIN AGENT

Pastry Chef/Baker

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