Chef, her parents open fine-dining bistro in Dunlap

DUNLAP, Tenn. — Florida transplants Christie Anderson and her parents say their new restaurant, the Blue Orchid Bistro, brings an elegant, high-quality dining experience to Dunlap’s historic downtown.

Mrs. Anderson, 24-year-old chef and master of the kitchen, said she has wanted her own restaurant since she was 15.

Her parents, owners Randy and Linda Slomian, moved to Dunlap about four years ago. Mrs. Anderson visited in December when the family started “throwing the idea around,” she said.

The Blue Orchid Bistro is housed in the former Briggs Smith Pharmacy building, a century-old brick structure in the center of town. The building had to be gutted and rebuilt from the inside out, she said.

“I could see it on paper and think of it in my head, but then every time I stepped in this building, I thought there is no way this is going to be what we were thinking,” she said. “But it was.”

The result is a space that “when you walk inside, you feel like you’ve walked outside into a courtyard between homes,” said Mr. Slomian, who designed and developed plans for the restaurant.

Mrs. Slomian said the original design with a 27-foot ceiling and a grand staircase to the upstairs dining area was Mr. Slomian’s brainstorm. Restoration took the building from a dirt-floored shell to a modern restaurant with an upscale twist, she said.

“It was really nice to be able to start from scratch because we were able to add features that we wanted on it,” she said.

The restaurant is on two floors with seating for 20 downstairs and 42 upstairs, Mrs. Slomian said.

Diners also can bring their own wine — Sequatchie is a dry county, so it’s not served or sold — to complement their meal, she said.

The fare uses fresh produce, much of it locally grown, and special touches and sauces from Mrs. Anderson’s recipes, Mrs. Slomian said.

The lunch menu has items such as honey-glazed ribs, apricot bourbon chicken and an assortment of sandwiches for the downtown Dunlap lunch crowd. The dinner menu includes citrus salmon, peppercorn-crusted steak and sage-rubbed pork for those looking for elegant food without a trip to Chattanooga, she said.

A “Kidz” menu is available for younger diners, she said.

Casey Walker said she and other workers in the law office across the street tried the bistro’s lunch as carry-out Thursday.

“We all enjoyed our lunch today when we got it,” she said.

“I got the chicken. It was good,” she said. She said she plans a dinner visit soon so she can see the interior.

“It’s a great addition to Dunlap,” Mrs. Walker said.