Lonesome Dove is a Pulitzer Prize-winning epic Western novel, and later a TV miniseries, written by Larry McMurtry. The saga covers two retired Texas Rangers who led a cattle drive from Texas to Montana, exploring themes of friendship, love, hardship, and the end of the frontier.

Award-winning chef Tim Love opened the Lonesome Dove Western Bistro 25 years ago in the Fort Worth Stockyards. Chef Love, a graduate of the University of TN and known for his innovative “Urban Western” cuisine with a passion for unforgettable dining, opened another Lonesome Dove in the historic Patrick Sullivan’s Saloon building in the Old City in 2016. It has been going strong ever since.

The Lonesome Dove Western Bistro offers a menu of wild game and includes items you will not see in any other Knoxville area restaurant. An appetizer might be Duck Rabbit-Rattlesnake Sausage with potato rostis, or Texas Wild Boar Ribs with Pickled Escabeche. Many main courses are offered: Montana Bison Ribeye, Rabbit Ravioli, and Elk Loin, among others. Union County High School Culinary Arts instructor, Chef Zach Hodge, worked at the Knoxville Lonesome Dove. Chef Zach has recommended his students for part-time employment at several area restaurants. That’s how Daniel Shepard, Seth Welch, and Van Young became part-time employees at the Lonesome Dove.

On Chef Zach’s recommendation, Daniel Shepard was working at the Wild Boar Tavern in Powell. But when the Wild Boar decreased staff, they let him go. He now works at the Lonesome Dove at the Sautee Station, a job that the Chef says is very difficult and challenging. Daniel has 6 eyes on the stove range where he sautés red fish, salmon, scallops (among other delicacies) and then finishes them off (or holds their temperatures) in the oven. Very tricky. Daniel got the culinary bug by watching the popular TV show Kitchen Nightmares, where Chef Gordon Ramsey helps struggling restaurants. He says that Lonesome Dove is a very different world, and that it is rewarding to work with and learn from so many knowledgeable and talented people. His plans? Attending the UT Culinary Arts School and working in the business. His dream? Why, opening his own restaurant, of course!

Junior Seth Welch sort of stumbled into Culinary Arts. He really did not know a whole lot about preparing food going into this class, but there was an open spot in his schedule last fall, so he filled it with Culinary Arts 1. He had a really good time learning about proper food preparation, and, as he said, he likes to eat! He is now completing Culinary Arts 2. Seth thinks that it is a great basic skill to be able to create and prepare food, but a future in Culinary Arts is not what he plans. His passion is Criminal Justice, and he hopes to attend the Vanderbilt Criminal Justice program. He is interested in becoming an attorney and, perhaps, working in a police force. The good news is that he will have the skills and knowledge to prepare delicious food wherever life takes him.

Van Young is a Senior at UCHS and, like Seth, took a Culinary Arts class to fill a hole in his schedule. He was not a foodie when he started this class, but he has loved the challenge of creating dishes, and he now appreciates learning about the art of food. He preps salads and desserts and assists with the fryer. The kitchen at Lonesome Dove is an exercise in teamwork. Everyone has their part to play, and they all work together to create and plate the dishes. One of his surprises was how beautifully the food is arranged and presented to the diner. “People eat with their eyes first”, Van said. Although Van’s initial plan was to go into Psychology, he will be attending the Culinary Arts program at Pellissippi State in Blount County. And if one part-time job isn’t enough, you can catch Van throwing dough into the air at the Baker Boys Pizza Company in Halls.

Impressive young men. All three students enrolled in the high school Culinary Arts program with no idea that they would become employees of Lonesome Dove Western Bistro. What a great opportunity and a very different, growing experience for these students.