What are the opening hours?

Tuesday 5pm - 9pm Wednesday 5pm - 9pm Thursday 5pm - 9pm Friday 5pm - 10pm Saturday 5pm - 10pm Sunday 5pm - 10pm

J.C. Holdway

Name: J.C. Holdway
Address: 501 Union Avenue, Knoxville, TN, 37902, US
Telephone: +18653129050
Price range: $$$

Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from J.C. Holdway, American restaurant, 501 Union Avenue, Knoxville, TN.

Wood-Fired Southern Cuisine by Chef Joseph Lenn
James Beard Award Winner | New York Times 50 Best Restaurants | MICHELIN Guide 2025
Dinner from 5:00 PM in the historic Daylight Building, Knoxville, TN.

06/06/2026

Our 46 oz Black Hawk Farms Reserve Label American Wagyu Tomahawk Ribeye comes from a Western Kentucky farm built around a slower, more carefully controlled way of raising beef.

Black Hawk Farms keeps the process close: calves begin on open pasture, then are finished for 500+ days on a diet built around homegrown corn, roughage, and minerals. Their approach is designed to develop marbling over time rather than speed the finishing process.

The cattle are American Wagyu: full-blood Wagyu bulls crossed with a predominantly Black Angus herd. Black Hawk also works with Tajima Wagyu genetics, known for marbling, which fits their slower finishing process.

The grade matters, too. This is Black Hawk Farms Reserve Label American Wagyu, graded BMS 7+. BMS speaks to the marbling within the beef — the fine intramuscular fat that gives Wagyu its tenderness, rich flavor, and buttery texture. At 7+, this Tomahawk Ribeye is selected for visible, abundant marbling that melts into the steak as it cooks, giving each bite a soft, savory richness without needing much explanation once it reaches the table.

The bone gets noticed first.
The farm, cattle, and grade explain the rest.

thoughtfully crafted. rooted in season. southern at heart.

Our menu is updated daily and posted online.

05/18/2026

One of Chef Lenn’s favorite signs of spring has always been peas. Each year, he looks forward to bringing this salad back. This season, peas from Chef’s Harvest Farm brought the dish back into focus and reminded him why it has stayed with him for so long.

This salad started 17 years ago while Chef Lenn was working at Blackberry Farm. The cheesemaker there was making a fresh sheep’s milk cheese called brebis, and Chef Lenn wanted to create a dish that played on peas and ricotta. The first version was simple: peas, mint, preserved lemon, shaved radish, and fresh cheese.

Over the years, the salad has evolved. Chef Lenn has charred peas over the fire, used burrata, added Benton’s country ham, and continued to refine it with each season. At its core, though, it is still the same salad he created all those years ago.

Ingredients may change, but the roots of a dish matter. This one has been part of Chef Lenn’s spring story for 17 years.

thoughtfully crafted. rooted in season. southern at heart.

05/13/2026

To the class of 2026 🍊

Our dining room is fully committed for UT Graduation Weekend (Thursday–Saturday), but our bar will be open nightly for walk-ins and serving our full à la carte dinner menu.

If you are celebrating downtown and hoping to stop by, bar seating is first come, first served beginning at 5:00 PM each evening.

Also pictured: Georgie, one of our lead hosts, graduating from UT after almost 3 years with our team at J.C. Holdway. We are incredibly proud of her and excited to celebrate alongside several other members of our team graduating this weekend as well, including Connor, Avery, and Grace 🧡

Congratulations to the class of 2026

Vols RockyTop

05/10/2026

Happy Mother’s Day from J.C. Holdway 🤍

Before the restaurant, before the wood fire, and long before Chef Joseph Lenn ever cooked professionally, he learned to cook beside his mother, Emily, in her kitchen here in East Tennessee.

🏡 Joseph was born and raised in Knoxville, and Emily is a fourth-generation Tennesseean who spent her career as an elementary school math teacher and later principal. At home, though, she was teaching something entirely different — how food can bring people together and make people feel cared for.

🍳 One of the recipes Joseph remembers most is her hoe cakes. Years ago, Emily would make hoe cakes with the children in her classroom and share them together afterward. It became one of the many recipes and traditions she passed down to Joseph growing up, alongside a love for Southern cooking rooted in family, generosity, and gathering around the table.

🌽 The second photo is Joseph’s version of those hoe cakes with trout roe — a dish he has continued refining for nearly 25 years. While the presentation and technique have evolved over time, the heart of it still traces back to Emily’s kitchen and generations of Tennessee cooking before it.

Today we are thinking about the mothers and grandmothers who taught us our first recipes, fed our families, welcomed people into their homes, and shaped the way we gather around food.

Happy Mother’s Day to all of them 🧡

05/07/2026

Fully booked. Fully poured.

Tonight, we host the Clos Solène Wine Dinner, an intimate, ticketed experience featuring a five-course menu by Chef Joseph Lenn paired with wines from Clos Solène.

Guillaume Fabre, owner and winemaker of the Paso Robles estate, will present each wine throughout the evening and share the story behind the winery and its Rhône-inspired approach.

Our dining room, bar, and patio will be closed to the public for the evening.

We will reopen for regular dinner service tomorrow.

Interested in future events? Join our email list to stay informed.

04/27/2026

Every spring, Chef Lenn steps away from the kitchen and into the forest with his team for one of the most meaningful days of the year, our annual Ramp Hunt.

What began as a lesson passed down from Allan Benton has become something more over time. It is now a day centered on mentorship, connection, and building the kind of team that defines who we are.

The hike in is long, the terrain is not easy, and the work is shared. Together, the team forages wild ramps, learning not just how to harvest them, but how to do so responsibly. Each bulb is treated with care, with roots replanted to preserve the land for years to come.

By the river, the work turns into something celebratory. Ramps are cleaned, a fire is built, and a simple meal comes together with potatoes, ramps, and Benton’s Bacon cooked over open flame.

These are the days that shape our kitchen. The trust built on the trail carries into the line. The respect for ingredients carries onto every plate.

Ramps will be featured on the menu this week.

🍳 Le Creuset Cookware 🐖 Benton’s Bacon

04/08/2026

Tonight, J.C. Holdway is closed for a private event.

We are hosting the Spottswoode Wine Dinner with Beth Novak, an intimate, ticketed experience featuring a five-course menu by Chef Joseph Lenn paired with wines from Spottswoode Estate Vineyard & Winery.

Beth Novak, President and CEO of Spottswoode Estate and a second-generation steward of one of Napa Valley’s most historic wineries, will personally present each wine and share the story behind the estate’s celebrated vineyard and winemaking.

This event is fully reserved. Our dining room, bar, and patio will be closed to the public for the evening.

We will reopen for regular dinner service tomorrow, Thursday, April 9.

Interested in future wine events? Join our email list or visit our website and click “Wine Events” to stay informed.

03/12/2026

We are proud to welcome Chef Sarah Steffan to the kitchen at J.C. Holdway.

Sarah and Joseph first worked together years ago at Blackberry Farm, where Joseph promoted her to sous chef. During that time, she worked alongside him in the kitchen when he received the James Beard Award for Best Chef Southeast. Their shared foundation in thoughtful, ingredient-driven cooking makes this reunion especially meaningful.

Sarah’s connection to cooking began early, shaped by a childhood spent close to the land and the kitchen. Those formative experiences fostered a lasting appreciation for seasonal ingredients and the traditions that surround them.

Her professional path has taken her through some of the country’s most respected kitchens. Before joining Blackberry Farm, Sarah trained in Relais & Châteaux properties including The Point, Fearrington House, and Lake Placid Lodge. She is a graduate of Paul Smith’s College in New York and furthered her culinary studies abroad at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris.

Over more than a decade at Blackberry Farm, Sarah held nearly every role in the kitchen, from line cook to pastry chef to sous chef. She later became Executive Chef and opened The Dogwood for dinner service in 2015. Most recently, she served as Executive Chef of Bramble Hall, leading one of the Farm’s newest private dining experiences.

Throughout her career, Sarah has remained dedicated to cooking with fresh, local, and sustainable ingredients. Her cuisine reflects a deep respect for seasonality and the region, creating dishes that are both refined and rooted in place. Equally important is her leadership in the kitchen, where she is known for encouraging her team’s creativity and cultivating a collaborative culinary environment.

We are proud to welcome Sarah during Women’s History Month and to celebrate the remarkable women leading kitchens across our industry.

03/09/2026

Chef Lenn loves Tool, but the kitchen playlist is diverse.

Just like our line cooks.

They are all here for the same reason: they love to cook and take pride in what they do.

We are hiring a Sous Chef and Line Cook.

Visit our website for details, email us, or apply in person.

03/04/2026

Yellowfin Tuna ~ Winter Citrus ~ Pickled Shallots ~ Bay Oil ~ Watercress

thoughtfully crafted. rooted in season. southern at heart.

Our menu is updated daily and posted online.

Address

501 Union Avenue
Knoxville, TN
37902

Opening Hours

Tuesday	5pm - 9pm
Wednesday	5pm - 9pm
Thursday	5pm - 9pm
Friday	5pm - 10pm
Saturday	5pm - 10pm
Sunday	5pm - 10pm

Telephone

+18653129050

Website

https://www.jcholdway.com/

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