Grocer creates habit out of fresh foods

Sixteen years ago, when John Dyke moved across the river to East Nashville, he knew nothing of the neighborhood — only that he loved the Victorian house he spotted in a newspaper ad.

Then, the streets were still riddled with crime and Five Points wasn't the hip intersection it is today, yet Dyke found a community of warm neighbors and like-minded souls.

Today, after living in three houses on his beloved Fatherland Street and a thriving natural foods grocery store — The Turnip Truck on Woodland Street — Dyke has sewn himself into the fabric of the close-knit neighborhood of 37206.

Dyke, a former surgical supplies sales rep, got the idea for The Turnip Truck after bumping into his East Nashville friends at the former Granny White Pike store, Sunshine Grocery. Like him, they were trekking across town in search of fresh produce and natural and organic products.

"I grew up on a farm in east Tennessee and I was missing fresh grown produce. To me, nothing is better than a fresh grown heirloom tomato. I said, 'I think it would be great to have a natural foods grocery store on the East side,'" Dyke said.

So, the stylish Greenville, Tenn. native with silvering hair and blue eyes, transformed an old auto body shop — salvaging its ornate, tin roof — into a food haven for souls seeking a healthier lifestyle.

Dyke stocks the shelves with a vast array of fresh fish, meats and produce; local cheeses, dried fruits, crackers, breads, pastas, grains, hummus, granola, vegetarian alternatives, ice creams and sorbets — giving the conscious consumer food options that wouldn't otherwise exist amid the corporate supermarket powerhouses and fried food staples that dot Gallatin Road.

What was the family farm of your childhood like?

We did a little bit of everything. We mainly raised beef cattle, pigs, hogs; we did a little tobacco, I am embarrassed to admit. It was four generations. My favorite memory is riding the horses for hours out in the field on a long, hot day. Or, working with my grandmother in the gardens. She grew heirloom tomatoes, watermelons, corn, potatoes, green beans, cabbage all year round. She even had Muscatine grapes on a huge vine. We used to eat so many of them we'd get sick. They have a huge piece of flesh on the outside, and they kind of 'pop' off the vine, and they are real chewy.

What kind of foods were you raised on?

Around the house, we had a lot of vegetables. We'd eat around the produce in season from the garden, but even in the wintertime, they canned a lot of stuff that came from the garden, so we ate from the garden year round. Also, a lot of beef and chicken.

What are your earliest memories in the kitchen?

I helped my grandmother out during her canning season. I'd be in there helping her break beans or gathering stuff for her. I remember as I got older in high school, I enjoyed cooking my own things outside of my mom. I'd get in and bake a cheesecake from scratch, or I'd go out and take something from the garden and make a salad if I was hungry.

What is your favorite ingredient?

Greens — kales, chards, collard greens. I do them all year, and they are very easy to cook.

Cooking tip?

Sauté the greens but don't overcook them. Sauté them in olive oil and garlic. The best stuff is toasted sesame oil and some sesame seeds.

What is your advice about eating natural and organic products?

It's an investment into your life like a health insurance policy. This little extra you'll spend can take you far. If anything, you need to respect your body before anything else. Everything will fall into place around it. Once you migrate to this lifestyle, it's very hard to migrate back to something unhealthy, to an unnatural lifestyle.

What product are you most proud to carry?

We carry three different local artisan cheeses. They are my favorite products. Kenny's Farmhouse Cheese; Locust Grove, a sheep's milk cheese out of Knoxville and Bonnie Blue, a goat cheese. I found Kenny's through the farmers market here. I found Bonnie Blue because I was at Watermark restaurant one night and I was eating [a slice of their] cheesecake. They made the cheesecake with Bonnie Blue, and so I looked it up. They have won many national awards for their goat cheese. It's local and fresh, and an excellent product.

How do you select the products you carry?

We have some rules. We prefer local. We do not want anything in here with additives, preservatives or high fructose corn syrup. I do my research every month. I look at new products. I go to several food shows throughout the year. I try and keep up on what's going on inside the market. We listen to our customer. The cool thing is our corporate office is inside this building, so unlike many stores, we can make our decision in house and we are able to bring in anything our customers want within reason.

What would I find in your refrigerator?

Almond milk, almond milk and almond milk. Greens. Lots of greens. Natural fed chicken breast. Tonight when I go home, I'll grab whatever I want — this store is my fridge. We have a lot of customers who do the same thing. They come in for what they want for the next 24 or 48 hours.

What would I find in your CD player?

A CD, what is that? Everything is on my iPod, and the sky is the limit. I've been listening to some Nina Simone today.

What do you eat on a normal day?

I always get up and eat eggs and a piece of toast and oatmeal. I drink protein shakes with Berry Greens. I eat a lot of protein, and I eat a lot of greens. I eat some kind of protein and a salad for lunch like tuna salad with salad greens for lunch. In the evening, I'll go home and sauté some vegetables and eat chicken or beef or fish — we have a lot of seafood fresh salmon, scallops, mahi, halibut.

What would you never eat?

I would never eat fast food or items with trans fat or high fructose corn syrup.

What is your guilty food pleasure?

Gelato. In pistachio, lemon, whatever I can get. Ciao Bella is my favorite brand.

What would your last meal be?

Seared tuna and some heirloom tomatoes and some of the Ciao Bella ice cream.

What is your dream job?

Working with horses, which I grew up on.

What is a little known fact about you?

I love being outside in the sun. I just got back from South Beach [Florida], and I've been complaining about the cold weather ever since I've been back. I grew up near the mountains [in east Tennessee] , but I am a water and sand person.

How did you find kitchen manager Yvonne Hope?

She found me. I liked her spunk, and I wanted someone who could bring in new items and create and have fun.

To learn Yvonne Hope’s story, check next Tuesday’s The City Paper.

The Turnip Truck

970 Woodland St.

650-3600

theturniptruck.com