Jimmy Dickens Named Honorary Executive Chef During Grand Opening of Opry Backstage Grill
The show that made country music famous is now making its mark on okra fries, Tennessee cornbread salad, skillet fried chicken, pit smoked Southern barbecue, and signature desserts in a new restaurant, the Opry Backstage Grill. Last week during a grand opening event at the restaurant, 62-year Opry member Little Jimmy Dickens was presented with a Chef’s hat and named the restaurant’s Honorary Executive Chef. Dickens then toasted the crowd with a raised glass of the restaurant’s specialty frozen dessert, the home-baked shake. Made daily from the restaurant’s pie of the day plus ice cream and milk, today’s home-baked shake was chocolate peanut-butter icebox pie.
The restaurant, now open across from Gaylord Opryland Resort, provides a one-of-a-kind dining experience combining the entertainment for which the Opry has long been world-famous with a love for Southern cooking Opry artists and fans have shared for generations. Guests in the 200-seat restaurant are immersed in an exciting environment including servers both performing country favorites on the Backstage Grill stage and sharing details about daily specials prepared using Opry member recipes. Songwriters’ nights and special group amenities including private meals with country artists are also on the menu at the restaurant located in the Radisson Hotel at Opryland.
