Joseph Lenn, Executive Chef of The Barn, leads his culinary team in providing the Foothills Cuisine for which Blackberry has come to be known. The Barn’s chef team prepares beautifully served multi-course menus, inspired by seasonal, farm-fresh products and produce, grown just a few feet away in the gardens. A carefully relocated bank barn from the 1800s, The Barn is a visually grand setting in which to relish the earthy delicacies of our bakery, butchery, salumaria, creamery, and 8,000-square-foot wine cellar. Joseph is thrilled to have the opportunity to work in such a location in which the gardens and farm products of the Farmstead are available to him every day. Inspired by his mother and grandmother from a young age, Joseph sought a career in the culinary world. His training started in the butcher shop at a local independent grocery store of his Tennessee hometown. Quality ingredients were of the utmost importance there, and Chef Lenn learned that the best food comes from the best product. This thought led Joseph to culinary school at Johnson and Wales in Charleston, South Carolina where he was able to hone his skills in the kitchen. During his time in culinary school, Joseph completed an internship at Blackberry Farm. Joseph returned to Charleston to work at the Peninsula Grill with Chef Bob Carter while he finished school. Three years later, Joseph assisted Chef Sean Brock in opening The Hermitage Hotel in Nashville, where he worked for two years honing his creative talent. During this time, his deep love for east Tennessee brought him back to Blackberry Farm again and again, assisting in cooking schools and special events.

Butternut squash soup with spiced seeds