A homegrown Tennessee nonprofit that turns license plate sales into restaurant grants.
When James, the founder, lived in Texas, he had a burger-themed specialty license plate. He's a foodie, and he loved it. So did everyone else, it turned out. People waved at him in traffic and stopped him in parking lots to talk about it.
After he and his wife moved back to Tennessee, he kept thinking about the independently owned restaurants he loves here and how many of them get by on thin margins. He decided to bring the plate idea to Tennessee and use it to fund grants for those restaurants. That's how Foodies of TN started.
The plate itself was designed by Tennessee artist Norris Hall, creator of the state's Cool Cat and Arts Fish specialty plates, who donated his time to the project. The State of Tennessee has approved the design, and we're now collecting the 1,000 pre-orders needed for production.
Outside this nonprofit, James also runs Blue Brick Partners, the holding company behind his broader business projects. Foodies of TN is a separate Tennessee public charity, though James brings the same practical approach to it.
The specialty license plate is our primary funding source. Each year, a portion of plate sale revenue flows into our grant program. Our all-volunteer board reviews applications and distributes grants to independently owned Tennessee restaurants that demonstrate financial need or community impact.
The goal is practical help that keeps a good restaurant operating, like replacing a walk-in cooler that died on a Saturday or covering rent through a slow stretch. Full eligibility requirements and what grants can pay for are on the restaurant grants page.
The Foodies of TN board is all volunteer, and board members serve without pay. That keeps overhead low, so net plate revenue can go toward restaurant grants.
Each year we'll publish a summary of funds received, grants awarded, and the parts of Tennessee served. We'll post it here on the website in plain language.
For more on how reporting will work, see our impact and transparency page.
