Briana Garza is building community through food in Chattanooga.
Garza is the creator and founder of Chatt Taste: Food Tour, a company dedicated to showcasing the flavors of the city.
On a recent Saturday afternoon, Garza led a vibrant cocktail class at Nightcap, which is a cocktails-and-sweets bar downtown.
Tables were thoughtfully bejeweled with crystal coupes, champagne glasses and individual mise en place that had slivers of dried citrus, Luxardo cherries and simple syrups.
Folks gathered in booths across from the bar, where Garza led an informative guided lesson on the basics of making cocktails, with history and whimsy woven throughout.
"Food is the universal language," Garza told me in the window-filled room of Nightcap. "The business dynamic (of Chatt Taste) really speaks to my upbringing."
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Garza's father was in the Army, so she grew up overseas. All of these places informed her palate and perspective.
"Because I moved so much," Garza said, "and because I have this wanderlust instilled in me, I've always wanted to feel like I belong. That's one thing that was missing for me. These intimate relationships that I can have with visitors in Chattanooga (through Chatt Taste), where they can feel like a local, they don't have to wonder or figure out how to navigate a city -- I'm healing my inner child every food tour I do, and it's beautiful."
Her tours are geographically curated, and options abound from the historic Southside to downtown. She's built relationships with the folks behind the scenes, and her criteria for a stop is that the restaurant must be 1) a local business and 2) have a good dynamic and rapport including treating the staff with respect.
Garza is a Renaissance woman. Her career spans many entrepreneurial ventures, but amid the pandemic she lost her day job in health care, so she pivoted.
(READ MORE: Versatile creator: From short-term rentals to food tours, Chattanooga woman offers lessons in adaptation)
"The same skill set I used to operate a clinic and long-term care facility, I use that same skill set (for Chatt Taste). Building systems that keep everyone happy and fulfilled is the same skill set as being an administrator."
Staff file photo / ChattTaste Tours founder Briana Garza poses at The Westin in 2020.
That skill set is evident in how thoughtful all the details are. At the class I attended, we made two distinct drinks: one whiskey-based and one tequila-based. Everyone received a thick cardstock with the recipe printed on it, as well. Garza walked through the elements that would make the drink sing: the base (an alcohol like whiskey or tequila), ice and some kind of acid to brighten the flavor (like citrus and/or simple syrup). She described bitters as the "salt and pepper" of a cocktail. I loved that language, enhancing and melding the flavors together.
The whiskey sour included freshly squeezed lemon juice that participants squeezed over marble tabletops in the dining room of Nightcap. Garza introduced aquafaba in place of the egg whites. This is a vegan-friendly option that uses the liquid in which chickpeas have been cooked, to bring the umami flavor. Trust me, it's good -- don't knock it till you try it!
"Inspiration for the recipes -- we try to find a nice balance between classic cocktails that people are familiar with and then putting a fun twist on it," said Jay Bailey, the bar manager at Gilman and Nightcap.
The El Diablo was a rich red, the color of an epic sunset. This was tequila-based with creme de cassis, (a liqueur made from black currants) and with lime juice and ginger beer, it made my eyes widen with that tart deliciousness.
(READ MORE: 20 Under 40: Briana Garza)
Garza also offers mocktail classes and private events. I spoke to participants of her private cocktail class from earlier in the day. Winnie Paris came into town for the event from Texas.
"I've done cooking classes and cocktail making classes," Paris said, "but this one was more intimate, and I enjoyed the atmosphere. (Garza) was intentional about making sure that (this) was geared toward us and what we wanted."
The classes are held in the late afternoon, which is perfect for a weekend lunch or early dinner. Pop over to Old Gilman Grill after your class if you want to grab a juicy steak, crisp Caesar salad or warm cup of soup.
Most of the locals that Garza introduces to a restaurant will return later.
"People tell me after a food tour, 'I never would have tried this or gone to that location (without your tour).' I love coming back on food tours and seeing guests that I introduced to those establishments there," she said.
There's something very meaningful about learning something together as a group activity. Garza said she sees this in her classes and the camaraderie it builds.
"During political times, you start off a tour and everyone is kind of rigid," she said. "And by the second stop, no one cares, they don't care who you're voting for. Food unites people."
Contact Lyric Lewin at llewin@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6215.