All are welcome at City Silo’s community table
At the heart of City Silo Table + Pantry’s approach to business is community. In fact, owner Scott Tashie will tell you that community is one of three equally critical components of their success strategy—along with healthy, good-quality food that actually tastes good, and gold-star customer service.
“It starts with our team. Every single person here, we’re all family. We work really hard on building a culture here that the customers can see and be a part of,” says Scott, who co-owns City Silo with his wife, Rebekah. “Our team makes us what we are, 100 percent. A lot of these people have been with us since we opened [in 2017]. They’re healthy. They’re passionate about this stuff—and sharing that passion with Memphis. It’s good vibes only. That’s really important.”
City Silo does indeed pass the vibe check. With three locations—in East Memphis, Germantown, and Little Rock—they are creating an experience. Each location has an open, airy space with natural light streaming in from every corner. Truthfully, you could drop City Silo in Cali and it would fit right in. From the design, to the pleasant experience with their staff, to the name itself, the “people first” philosophy is evident.
“When we eat, we’re eating as a community,” says Scott. “Every City Silo has a community table. You could be sitting next to someone working or a family.” And, just like old-school Southern homes, each City Silo has a “pantry” too, where you can buy some of the products used in City Silo dishes.
Community is great and all, but this is the South. And if we’re keeping it real, it’s not like healthy options abound. So how—in a city with an almost reckless reverence for bacon, barbecue, and chicken wings—did Scott and Rebekah convince enough Memphians to darken their doorstep to make this business work?
Scott says the idea caught on right from the beginning. “We were trying to educate people and get people more involved—understanding eating clean and healthy and where food comes from,” he says. “It was tough to find healthy food unless you went to Whole Foods. It wasn’t necessarily very affordable, and it didn’t taste great for the most part.”
But something about City Silo captured Memphians’ attention, and the demand has just kept growing.
“People don’t think of Memphis as an epicenter of healthy eating, but our food is creative comfort food that’s healthy, using good clean ingredients,” says Scott.
“At the same time, it’s still got some of that Southern flair to it.”
As they developed the menu, their guiding principal was inclusivity. They wanted to be sure anyone—vegan, vegetarian, or omnivore—could enjoy their food. A confluence of influences, City Silo’s menu is a nod to Scott’s Greek heritage as well as a shout-out to his Memphis roots. This is clear in the food itself and in the names of dishes like Greece Lightning (toast topped with lemon garlic hummus, cucumber, tomato, kalamata olives, and cilantro) and the Elvis-inspired Zippin Pippin (toast topped with almond butter, blueberries, strawberries, bananas, and honey).
“Whatever your diet restrictions are, you feel comfortable here,” says Scott. “There is a range of options from chicken to tempeh and ‘cauliwings.’ If you’re vegan, but your partner’s not, great. Bring ’em in. If you like smoothies and your best friend you’re meeting for lunch wants a Buffalo Tempeh & Sesame Cauliflower bowl or a Memphis Chick sandwich, great. We wanted to cover all the bases.
We want healthy eating—clean eating—to be the norm. It’s not just a fad.”
There is indeed something for everyone on the menu. Asha Immanuel is one of City Silo’s many frequent flyers. She didn’t grow up vegan or eating clean, but she’s been a convert for a decade.
“As a vegan that used to eat meat, sauces are everything,” Asha says. “A lot of sauces have milk in them. At City Silo all the sauces are vegan. So I know I can trust them. And they’re delicious. That’s one of the best things about City Silo.”
In a city whose menus sometimes seem to have a dearth of vegetables, Asha is glad City Silo is an option. “Being vegan in the South, there is a misconception that we all just want comfort food,” she says. “I don’t necessarily want onion rings and fried pickles. I want greens, colorful veggies, beans, and real, whole foods—not just fried food or mock meats.”
For Scott, eating mindfully—with an eye toward where his food comes from and how it will nourish his body—has been a lifelong habit. “Growing up, we always cooked at home, so I always understood the importance of cooked food and where it comes from. That’s something I carried with me my whole life,” he says. He and Rebekah continue that tradition at home with their three children.
That’s the quiet part of this success story—a ring of authenticity that people connect to. And it’s always a good sign to see the owner sitting at the counter eating his own food and circulating amongst the people.
So let’s review: Good food? Check. Good service? Check. Community? Check.
If you’re a City Silo loyalist, good on ya. If you haven’t had the City Silo experience, you should. Bring your laptop. Bring your bae. Bring your kids. It’s “all works” and “all are welcome.” Good vibes only!
thecitysilo.com
@citysilo
580 South Mendenhall Road
7605 West Farmington Boulevard, Suite 2, Germantown
17701 Chenal Parkway, Suite C, Little Rock
Joy Doss is a repatriated Memphian, persnickety foodie, and mama bear to Addison and two fur babies. Professionally, she is a seasoned, highly effective PR consultant and event planner and, for the past four years, audio/video podcast producer. @southernbella73
Sam Reeves Hill is a freelance photographer and artist. She started her photography business in 2016 shooting portraits and weddings. Since then, she has moved into the content creation scene. She loves helping restaurants and businesses to elevate their social media presence. @anthoscreativeco