Behind the plate: Worleys keep spreading the Love 10 years later
In Nashville’s culinary landscape, the year 2012 had magic.
It saw the openings of now iconic restaurants Etch, Lockeland Table, Rolf, and Daughters. The Catbird Seat, which opened in late 2011, began garnering worldwide attention. Pop-ups Otaku South and VEA Supper Club were the humble beginnings of Sarah Gavigan’s Otaku Ramen and Vivek Surti’s Tailor. An exciting array of food trucks roamed the city.
Also in 2012, Karl and Sarah Worley debuted Biscuit Love, purveying a concise roster of signature scratch-made filled biscuits, foremost The East Nasty, The Princess, and The Gertie, launching their remarkable trajectory of success.
Ten years is an impressive milestone. Today, the Worleys share their story, which began at Johnson & Wales culinary school in Denver, where they met and married. After the birth of their daughter Gertie, they moved to Nashville to be closer to family. The rest, as they say, is magic.
Tell us how Biscuit Love came into being.
SW: We laugh when we say it was founded on our greatest marital dispute ever.
KW: I wanted to do Nashville Hot Chicken.
SW: I disagreed. I told Karl that his biscuits were my favorite things he made.
KW: At the time, I was working as a food broker, traveling around the region, selling products I didn’t believe in. And I started dreaming. We couldn’t afford a restaurant but thought we could manage a food truck. We cared about the farm-to-table movement, sourcing high-quality local products, and believed that could be incorporated into a mobile model.
SW: We didn’t really know what we were doing, but we wrote a business plan. Karl went to Jason McConnell (of Red Pony, Cork & Cow, and 55 South) for advice.
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KW: Jason told me to ditch the plan; test the concept. Then he offered his food truck, which he had gotten for his catering business and rarely needed. Plus, he let us prep in his commissary. Basically, we launched Biscuit Love on a borrowed truck with about $40 in our bank account. Eighteen months later, we could afford our Airstream.
SW: Jason never wanted any money from us. He said that so many people had believed in him that he wanted to pay it forward. That meant everything, and we would make that a part of our mission. We are forever grateful to him.
KW: We felt so welcomed throughout the food community.
SW: And there were so many turning points. Like when we got the call to set up at Parnassus, where John T. Edge was doing a presentation for his "The Truck Food Cookbook."
KW: We connected with John T., and John Egerton, who loved what we were doing and really promoted us. And later we were introduced to Michael Bodnar (of Fresh Hospitality.)
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That was a game-changer.
SW: Yes. In 2015, in partnership with Fresh, we opened our first restaurant in the Gulch. We felt like we were in the deep end of the pool, but they provided true support, true mentorship. We were not prepared for the lines. Our staff learned along with us.
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And, that same year, "Bon Appetit" named The East Nasty as the best sandwich.
KW: That was a “Hold on, things are about to get real” moment.
SW: That nod helped fuel our growth. In 2017, we opened the Hillsboro Village location followed by the third, in 2018, in Franklin. After that, I felt like we needed to slow down, become more intentional. Focus on developing a strong team.
KW: Bringing on Lisa Marie White as our culinary director was key. With her extensive knowledge of kitchen operations and pastry, we could take it to the next level. We believe in hiring people smarter than us!
SW: Now, we are poised to open another Franklin location and one in Cahaba Heights, Birmingham.
You’ve created a culture of caring at Biscuit Love. “Breakfast for Good” goes beyond delicious food and warm hospitality. What are some of the programs you’ve initiated?
KW: We are not money-motivated individuals. But we know we have saved money by having a healthier staff. And that means having professionals on hand to meet them where they are. It’s not news that we are experiencing a mental health crisis in our industry.
SW: We had a longstanding benevolence fund for employees in distress — similar to some churches. But having therapists available, also Spanish-speaking for our Latinx staff, helps in ways that funds alone cannot.
KW: We were already paying above-average wages, offering PTO (paid time off) and healthcare benefits. We invest in our staff also by teaching financial skills; introducing them, for instance, to a credit union instead of check-cashing companies.
SW: We teach core values. In our restaurant, we do not gossip. We teach how to have difficult conversations: healthy conflict. Many people never had the privileges that we did. A place of belonging — that’s what we strive for.
Let’s talk food. What new items should we be looking for on the fall menu?
KW: The Meat Loaf. It’s made with Bear Creek Farm beef, served over grits. It’s better than my mom’s.
SW: There’s also our Hungry Human Bowl — fried potatoes with bacon, eggs and sausage gravy. What’s not to love? Our yogurt dish with house granola and tart cherry jam has a wonderful sweet-savory balance.
KW: And, mustn’t forget our Pumpkin Spice bonuts!
Any words for aspiring chefs and entrepreneurs?
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KW: Mentorship. We were so lucky to have mentors. That made all the difference. And, we had a hyperfocus to build on.
SW: Right. Our biscuit hyperfocus set us apart. Karl figured out how to have his hot chicken on the roster. We learned to not overwhelm the menu. We got that from our food truck model and it holds to this day.
KW: Not to come across bitter — we are grateful for the visitors to our city. But if we don’t address affordable housing, child care and transit issues we aren’t taking care of our citizens.
SW: We hope that the next generation will still have the chance to realize their dreams. The hill to climb now is so different.
Biscuit Love
The Gulch: 316 11th Ave. S. 37203
Hillsboro Village: 2001 Belcourt Ave. 37212
Downtown Franklin: 132 3rd Ave. N. 37064
Hours: Open 7 a.m.-3 p.m. daily
Coming soon to Berry Farms Town Center in Franklin and Cahaba Heights in Birmingham, Ala.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Biscuit Love owners Karl and Sarah Worley celebrate 10 years
