dell
/del/
Noun
A small valley, usually among trees.
Synonyms
Glen – valley
My Great Granddaddy, Jacob Thomas Logan, was half Native-American living all alone on a lush, spread of land in Hickory Point, Tennessee. He farmed that land all his life. At the age of 52, he fell in love with my Great Grandmother, Elsie Lillian Winn. Old Granny wasn’t but 26 when they met, but she fell in love with that beautiful, Native-American pretty darn quick. He took her to a social in McAdoo Creek in October. McAdoo Creek ran through his land and there was a little community up from Hickory Point called McAdoo Creek. We still have that first love letter he wrote to her asking her out. They married that Christmas Eve. Mamma tells the story of how it had snowed so much the night that they married, that the preacher had to come out to the horse and buggy and married them right then and there. The snow was half way up the buggy’s wheels and it wouldn’t be fittin to have such a beautiful, young bride get cold in the snow. Jacob and Elsie would only have four short years together before Jacob died. They had two children together , Jacob Cecil and Carlene. Old Granny never remarried. She feared that JC and Carlene would be confused if she loved another. If the truth be known, I don’t think Elsie could have loved another more than that sweet Indian man! JC was my Granddaddy who we all loved deeply. God, I wish you could’ve met him! Granddaddy farmed that same lush, spread of land all of his life. For me, this land is where love began! In fact, Pank and I married there. This picture was taken by our friends, Eric and Debbie, in May before we married in November. We were on the back 11 acres that look over a bluff at the Cumberland River. This picture is one of my favorite pictures of Pank and me, because it documents a time in life where I felt most grounded. I spent my whole life knowing about that back 11. It wasn’t until Pank came along and I saw him fall in love with the land as much as I had, that I knew I was right where I needed to be. Ok, that back 11 isn’t a valley and can technically not be called a dell. It does however, represents the inspiration for Corbin In The Dell. I come from a long line of farmers on both sides of my family. Wait till you hear about the Corbins. Oh, you will! Farming is hard work. While, that is not the path I have chosen, it is very important for me that you know about it. You see, without farmers we don’t eat. Without food, we don’t exist. There are so many wonderful people around us raising beautiful food! Then, there is the artisans who craft that beautiful food into delicacies not to be denied. We are very fortunate to live in what I like to think of as one, big gigantic dell. I am dying for you to come to know and love all of it! So, Corbin In the Dell came to be in October 2012. If you know me, you know I love connecting people. I used to say my dream job would be to connect people. Corbin In The Dell is literally a dream come true. I introduce farmers and artisans to chefs, restaurateurs and other industry related folks. I get a kick out of watching those relationships blossom. Social Media is a wonderful tool to share these experiences. Daddy used to tease me saying “Melissa, I do believe if you shut your mouth, your butt would fly wide open.” Well, we wouldn’t want that to happen……