If you guys read my last article on tips to find cool eateries you’ll know that one of the best tips is to ask other fellow foodies. That is exactly how my wife Michelle and I stumbled across Water Into Wine on the corner of Smith and Campbell station in Farragut. From the second you walk in, you just know you like the place. The people are incredibly friendly and the live music was on point without being at all too loud or over powering. Then comes the food….. WOW!!!! On our first visit Michelle and I stopped by after hitting up another one of our favorite eateries. We were just planning on a glass of wine and some dessert, but after browsing the menu, we had already planned our next date night. We decided on some dark chocolate ganache and a chocolate board platter with our wine as we listened to the live jazz and talked to a couple other patrons. Our next visit was equally as impressive. I made a reservation through Yelp and was very pleasantly surprised to see our table for two waiting for us with a handwritten placeholder reading our last name. This time we went for the beer cheese dip, meatballs, wine, and dessert. That settled it – we now have another favorite spot to chill. Always wanting to share more with my readers, I reached out to the owner – Candace Viox. I hope you enjoy our interview with her below as she tells her story. And please please please, go check out her place. Tell them you read about her on GearsGunsAndGrub!
Water Into Wine – the story behind a great little bar, and it’s owner
How did I ultimately decide to take a leap of faith to open a restaurant in Farragut?
This question requires a bit of back ground first. I was adopted at birth in California by my parents in the 70’s. I was forced to move to Tennessee my senior year of high school. Culture shock, to say the least, I graduated from Lenoir City High School and began college at Roane State Community College. Married, birthed and adopted 3 children from TN Foster care system and my life was okay until 2011.
Sadly, my marriage fell apart in March 2011 and unexpectedly my mom died on May 9, 2011. I was an only child and did not handle this loss well. Then I watched my dad get engaged to the first lady he met at church and was also faced with trying to figure out how I was going to raise 4 children on my own rocked my world. I sunk into deep depression. The last place I wanted to go was church- so I hung out at bars and drank away my pain… SO the W2W Story begins…
After a year of self-pity and neglect, God smacked me with a strong statement. “Are you done yet?” in the sands of Southern California. I brought my kids back home to Tennessee and pulled up Pellissippi State Community College Website. Called, enrolled and decided I was going to do something different in Farragut!
I decided to open a classy “Relational Bar & Lounge”. A place where the focus was on people, not TV’s. A place where you were shown love and acceptance, not ignored. A place where you could walk in to my bathroom after a horrible day, and be surrounded by encouragement. A place where friends could link tables up easily and chat. A place where music complimented our space, not overpowered conversation. A place who severs healthy food as not to require 400 sit-ups tomorrow. A place I needed during my troubled times…so I created it! A Farragut Cheers!
Tell us about your vision for your place and what sets it apart from the rest
The previous paragraph answered that I guess. The design of the U shape bar encourages conversation with strangers. The lack of huge TV’s soundlessly on to distract one’s thoughts and conversation was not a priority. We strive to greet every person with a smile and conversation to encourage friendships that have proven to exceed beyond the walls of our establishment. It’s been a beautiful experience. (Our Events set us apart as well-see below)
Tell us about your Menu
Healthy, fresh, baked food items were a priority to me! European size portions conducive to a wine bar in Italy and France was the menu concept. My Chef, Charm Wyrick, makes her own fresh jams, jellies and dressings from scratch. We change our food and wine menu every 3 months and we allow the communities’ input for these changes with our wine tasting events hosted every Thursday evening at 6:00. Our regulars share with Chef their desire for food items, and she listens as well. They love her chicken chili and Meatballs with made from scratch marinara sauce. Our Cali Hot Browns, Dunkle Beer Cheese and our seared Ahi Tuna are just a few of the popular items. Our freshly made Crab Salad has been with us since the beginning and I believe I would have a community revolt if I ever changed that! My patrons let us know, and we take it heart.
Website & Calendar of Events
Again, a social pub requires some live music. Thankfully the acoustic bands we feature on Wednesday evenings at 8:00, understand my clientele and don’t try to steal the attention from the tables. The soft jazz set on Saturday nights are well received, considering no other restaurant in Farragut plays jazz consistently.
Our Events are pretty cool! Again, back to my background story, I decided I was going to support the local women in Knoxville- any way that I could! No matter what they are going through, they would find support here! Hence, Working Women Wednesday’s. Every Wednesday night we host local business women in the Knoxville area by hosting their services or products to a loving community.
And for my wine lovers… Thirsty Thursday was born. I support our local liquor stores during this grocery transition and allow the local distributors to host 5 wines, paired with cheese, for $20. If you find one you love, you can buy a glass OR buy the bottle at a local wine store!
The list goes on and on… Daily Happy Hour from 4-6, Private wine dinners every 3rd Monday of the month, Wine and Canvas Events, Sip & Pour Events… We are always supporting local business any way that we can!
Our Facebook followers have been amazing and our social media provides all my locals with a complete list of events updated daily! Our events are always fun and full of surprises.
What has the response from our amazing community?
Has been unbelievable. God has been so good! The locals have been fantastic! Our regulars have been beyond supportive with bringing their friends and family. We are truly blessed and I am humbled by the love, constructive criticism and true caring I have received from the Farragut and surrounding communities. Tellico Village, Oak Ridge, W. Knoxville, Lenoir City… I could go on. Without everyone’s support, I would’ve never been able to succeed.
Any upcoming surprises???
YOU BET! I have decided to NOT expand the brand and continue to concentrate my time and effort here in my community. But, I decided to expand in a different way. We are in the process of procuring our off-site catering license which means we will soon be able to host your private events. We are very excited for this opportunity and will keep you posted!
One more note:
We are available to host your private events, in house, for your holiday events. Business owners in the area can treat their staff to a beautiful Holiday Party with us, and YES, we will shut down the restaurant if they need us to!
I love my community! My patrons, family, friends and faith have made my dream come true. Even when I wasn’t even sure who I was anymore. “Everyone has a story, come to W2W and share yours!”
One final thought – how did the name come about?
