After COVID changed the world, Shannon Largen of Brentwood decided to make a change in her own world as well. “I was with the Nashville Convention and Visitors Corporation (NCVC) for 16 years and really thought I would retire there. I loved my job, and I loved promoting the city.”
During the pandemic, she and her mom, a former schoolteacher, homeschooled her two children, Emery, now 13, and Connor, now 11. “It was a blessing for me to spend more time with my family, so later I really thought about what I wanted to do,” she says. “After a lot of reflection, I decided I wanted more flexibility and to become a guide to help people fall in love with Nashville.”
Shannon always enjoyed traveling and learning about various cultures through food. Since two of her friends already ran food tours, she contacted them to see if they needed a tour guide. Her first call was to Karen-Lee Ryan, who operated the ultra-successful Walk Eat Nashville. It was a serendipitous phone call. Karen-Lee had moved and didn’t know what to do with her business. “She was excited to sell to me, and she was someone who could mentor me to help the business grow even more.” Karen-Lee agreed to stay on for three years as a consultant, with her term ending on October 31.
“It’s been an amazing experience,” says the CEO, or self-proclaimed Chief Eating Officer. “I get to show off my city and help some of my favorite restaurants build their clientele. I also have a great team.” Many of the tour guides had worked with her in the NCVC and all are Nashville experts. Two others are food journalists as well. “It’s just a really neat way to explore a new city, learn about the attractions and history, but also learn about the culture through food,” says Shannon. “You have an expert with you who knows where to eat and what to avoid.”
Walk Eat Nashville tours already covered East Nashville and Downtown. Shannon added a tour of Music Row and 12 South. This summer, Franklin was added to the list. “I grew up in Brentwood and every weekend we would walk Main Street in Franklin,” she says. “I just love Franklin and the story of the city – it’s the epitome of Southern living.”
The Franklin brunch tour takes place at The Factory, an epicenter of great food and shopping. She tells people to come hungry. It starts out at Hattie B’s with what Shannon calls “a little bit of breakfast flair,” and then moves on to Edley’s Bar-B-Que for a brisket taco. After that, it’s on to The White Alligator, a Creole-inspired restaurant whose owners are from New Orleans. Next, there’s a wine and cheese tasting at Greys Fine Cheese, and, for the finale, hand-crafted ice cream at Fork of the South. Although guests get to choose their own flavors, Shannon recommends the banana pudding ice cream, because “what’s more Southern than that?”
Both locals and tourists take advantage of the tours, which she loves. “It’s been a great way for people to play in their own backyard,” she says. “Many of our local real estate agents have also given our gift cards as housewarming gifts to welcome clients to their new town and help them find their new favorite restaurants.”
Although Shannon doesn’t like to cook, hence her love of restaurants, her husband Breck does, and the whole family sits down to a delicious meal most nights. COVID also brought them a new family member – a Maltese Shih Tzu named Perseverance, or Persey.
WalkEatNashville.com