FOOD & DRINK
The Tennessee Truffle Burger
FACEOFSANFORD
CHEF
From the Chef ’s Kitchen to Your Plate BY DANIELLA HUME
W
hen you think of downtown Sanford, one of the first things that comes to mind is good food. There are so many unique restaurants and bars to choose from. And when you are in the mood for fresh, Southern cuisine, The Tennessee Truffle is the place to eat. Winning Best Chef twice in My Sanford Magazine’s “Best of Sanford” Awards, Memphis-born owner and chef, Nat Russel, opened not one, but two restaurants in the heart of downtown Sanford. “I have been to different communities before, and I never felt love like I do in Sanford,” Nat tells us. Before opening The Tennessee Truffle, Nat was working in Winter Park as the executive chef at Café de France. But after spending nearly a decade cooking on Park Avenue, he decided to venture out on his own and start a restaurant. He tells us the reasoning for opening The Tennessee Truffle was to spend more time with his daughter, Ella. So, when his restaurant first opened in 2016, Nat only served breakfast and lunch. Nat said there was not much in downtown at the time, and it was quiet most days. A year later, he decided he needed to do more, so he started serving dinner. Dedicated to using fresh ingredients and supporting farmers, Nat says he pictured The Tennessee Truffle as a southern-style, high-end diner.
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Coffee BBQ Rubbed Berkshire Pork Lion with Kale, Sea Island Red Peas, and Apple Butter
Since then, The Tennessee Truffle has been thriving. “In Sanford, everyone rallies behind you and wants you to be successful. That is not something you see everywhere,” says Nat. “I am just thankful for getting into downtown Sanford at the right time,” he adds. Speaking of the “right time,” some would say opening a new restaurant during a pandemic may be bad timing, but for Nat, it is just more of a challenge he welcomed. “Sean Kelley came to me with this idea of opening a place dedicated to burgers. I loved the thought since there was not a place focused on burgers already in downtown.” That’s when the two came up with, “What the Chuck.” Kelley owns the building and Nat runs the burger joint inside Henry’s Depot. When they first opened at the end of September, Nat said the place was packed. It has since slowed down a bit. “Hopefully, we will get through this pandemic and more people will start showing up,” he said. Roughly one in five small businesses in the nation have closed since the start of the pandemic, but Sanford is trying to buck that trend by supporting local businesses during these challenging times. That has Nat feeling good. “You see ‘Support Small Businesses,’ all over but Sanford really stands behind that, which is amazing,” says Nat, “I can’t see anything but continuing to grow with the community in the future.” n Daniella Hume owns a photography business located here in the heart of Sanford. Daniella graduated UCF with her broadcast journalism degree. She worked in local news for many years before leaving and starting her own company. While she isn’t working, Daniella loves to be at home cooking with her husband Jerry and playing with their dog, Luna. They love to go down to the Sanford Marina together and watch the sunset.
DANIELLA HUME, MASTROPIECES PHOTOGRAPHY
NAT RUSSEL
