FAIRVIEW, Tenn. (WKRN) — You might not expect an elevated dining experience in a small community nearly 30 miles outside of Nashville, but that's exactly what Gemma and Rodney Thompson have brought to Fairview.

The couple ran an airstream food truck until they opened their brick-and-mortar restaurant, The Thompsons Kitchen, in January 2021 — 10 months into the pandemic.

"We were really fortunate that as the world kind of opened up, we grew into it," Gemma said. "We couldn't have planned it like that, but it was really amazing how it happened."

"The community welcomed us, for sure, and we kind of grew organically with the community," Rodney added. 

The couple moved to Fairview to raise their family in a place that felt like home.

"I love the fact that the street still shuts down for the high school parade, and we have an incredible park here," Gemma said. "I go into Publix and I still I see teachers and customers; it's very community-based."

"Fairview is very unique because we are just this wonderful community that embraces sports and children and family," Mayor Lisa Anderson said. "It's just so nice to be in a rural setting, but so close to I-40, 840, 96, Highway 100."

Lisa Anderson was sworn in as mayor of Fairview in November 2022. She's a small business owner who has lived in the city for more than 30 years and raised her family here.

"I love this community, and I just wanted to be a part of taking care of our community and helping it grow in the right way," Anderson said.

It has grown. In the mid-2000s, there were about 5,000 Fairview residents. Now, it's about double that. There are 3,000 new homes approved to be built.

"It's not like 3,000 are going to be here tomorrow, but they are approved and will be coming," Anderson said. "People just want to live here, so every time something breaks ground, it's sold."

Anderson said there's a desire to keep the small-town feel in Fairview, but most residents also want more amenities.

"I think everybody understands if you're not growing, you're dying," Anderson said. "In order to provide our community with what they need, we have to be growing so that we can bring in the tax dollars to be able to provide our community with new projects like the city center."

Fairview City Center is a walkable, multi-use development under construction near city hall that will include homes, retail, restaurants and recreational facilities. It also connects to trails that lead to Bowie Nature Park.

"We have a beautiful, 700-acre nature park that you can bike, walk, hike — horses can be in the nature park," Anderson said. "We've got this big, huge playground that's about $800,000 playground that not only our community enjoys, but surrounding communities as well."

There really is a true sense of camaraderie in Fairview. The Thompsons said about 60 to 70 percent of their customers are regulars, includingAnderson.

"We really create bonds; we do baby showers for people. I hear when people are struggling, and we can send food home for them," Gemma said. "It just feels like a very authentic kind of hometown."

News Source : https://www.wkrn.com/news/local-news/on-tour-middle-tn/fairview/