The Yellow Table Café

(Vote for Us in Nashville Scene's Best of Nashville Awards!!)

Hi friends!!

I’ve missed you all!! The last time I wrote - a little over 1 year ago - the café was still in its conceptual stage: a series of Pinterest boards, sketches, spreadsheets, and architectural drawings-in-progress. I had a lease, but the space was totally blank, with no kitchen, nor adequate plumbing and electricity to support one. I had no clue how to go about opening a café - just a strong desire to create a space for connection and community in East Nashville. It was a HUGE leap of faith for me to tackle a project so daunting, especially one that I felt deeply under-qualified to pursue.

The imposter syndrome was real and ever-present, so I had to keep coming back to the things I knew for sure: I wanted to create a warm, welcoming space, with the yellow table as the centerpiece. I wanted to serve authentic French crêpes and galettes, great coffee, seasonal salads, and homemade baked goods. Most of all, I wanted to share the same sense of hospitality that I learned from my mom. Throughout my childhood, I watched her welcome neighbors, family, and friends to our family’s big, yellow kitchen table to share a meal, and that is exactly what I have aimed to do at The Yellow Table Café.

Fast forward to today, and my dream has come to life: The Yellow Table Café is nearly 7 months old! It’s been a wild ride (one I will share more about in future posts), but suffice it to say, I still pinch myself every time I see the yellow and white café awning, or see people lingering over coffee and crêpes, deep in conversation. It is truly surreal. (It’s also, truthfully, been really hard at times - late nights and early mornings working, lost time with family and friends, financial stress, mom guilt, and feeling quite overwhelmed a lot of the time. My brain is in constant to-do list mode - “Don’t forget to call the HVAC guy!” “Have this month’s sales taxes been paid?” “We are out of leeks!” Can any other business owners relate?!)

Hard as it sometimes is, I wouldn’t trade any of it. I feel so lucky to work with THE most amazing team (if you’ve been in, you know!), and to have the most wonderful community of neighbors who frequent the café, pushing strollers or walking dogs, or popping in for lunch from our next-door co-working space, Switchyards. I love seeing multiple generations of families come in to eat together, and it’s a joy to celebrate so many special occasions with our guests, from birthdays and anniversaries, to new babies, new jobs, or the first day of kindergarten :)

I also feel beyond lucky that my dear friend Jenn Elliott Blake, prop stylist extraordinaire, agreed to help me design and style the interiors for the café space. She’s spent lots of time in France, and shares my love of independent cafés – I knew she would totally get the look I was going for. Working with her to bring my vision to life was a dream come true. She is truly the most talented designer I know, and it was SO fun to collaborate with her. I hope we can do more projects together in the future!

(I am trying to keep this post brief, but if you want to read more of the back-story of how the café came to be, you can read this story in The Nashville Scene or this one in Style Blueprint. I truly feel so honored that people are interested in telling the story of The Yellow Table!)

Now I have a big favor to ask all of you: if you have enjoyed eating at The Yellow Table this year - or even if you’re a friend from afar - would you please vote us in The Nashville Scene’s Best of Nashville 2025 Awards?

We would LOVE to get a nomination for Best New Restaurant (Opened since Oct. 2024) - it would help introduce us to so many new customers, which is always the goal of a small business! I know it’s a stretch to even think about getting this award, but why not try?! I have poured my heart and soul into creating a warm, welcoming space with a thoughtful menu. We make everything from scratch, from coffee syrups and sauces, to batters and baked goods and everything in between. We create a daily, handwritten specials menu, and as far as I know, we are the only restaurant in town serving authentic French buckwheat galettes.

Please take a minute to vote - it truly would mean the world!! Simply write in The Yellow Table Café under the Best New Restaurant category. (NOTE: You are required to vote in 20 categories for your vote to count, so once you vote for us, you can nominate all of your other favorite small businesses!) Last day of voting is August 28, so go ahead and get your vote in now :)

Thanks for joining me on this journey - can’t wait to share more behind-the-scene stories with you all! And in the meantime, hope to see you soon at the café!

XO

Anna

(P.S. All photos by Victoria Quirk; café styling by Jenn Elliott Blake.)