Concept Bridges Restaurant and Retail Perenn Grocery opens October 30 in Nashville's Wedgewood-Houston neighborhood as a hybrid venue from husband-and-wife operators Aubrey and Tyler O'Laskey. The 1,218 Martin Street location integrates a full-service bakery, café, specialty market, listening room and wine bar under one roof—extending the couple's restaurant hospitality model into the grocery-shopping experience. "We've always believed that hospitality should extend beyond the walls of a restaurant," says Aubrey O'Laskey, co-founder of Perenn. "With Grocery, we wanted to challenge what an everyday experience like grocery shopping could feel like. Why shouldn't picking up something for dinner be just as thoughtful, inspiring and enjoyable as going out to eat? We've brought together the things we love most: beautiful food, extraordinary producers, music, design and genuine hospitality."

Curated Shelves and Estate Dairy Exclusivity The grocery portion takes a selective approach to inventory: local eggs, meat, milk and seasonal produce sit alongside Perenn-made staples, house-milled wheat, home goods and products from vetted producers. Custom beverages include a Sparkling Marmalade Coffee and cold brews developed with Comeback Coffee, plus kombucha from Walker Brothers. Bespoke ice cream comes from Normal Ice Cream. A key differentiator: Perenn holds the exclusive U.S. import relationship for The Estate Dairy, a family-run operation in Cheshire, England. The cultured butter, shipped directly from the UK, appears throughout the bakery's pastry program and is sold retail for home use.

Bakery and Café Operations The bakery operates inside a glass-enclosed production space—called the Baking Bubble—where staff visibly mix, shape, bake and finish breads and pastries. The café serves breakfast and lunch: brûléed apple butter porridge with brown-butter roasted apples; Turkish eggs with garlic-tahini yogurt and Aleppo pepper butter; and sandwiches, salads and grain bowls. Perenn Everyday offers ready-made proteins, vegetables and sauces for take-home meal assembly.

Beverage Bar and Evening Pivot The espresso program uses organic coffee roasted locally by Alpen Sierra, with house drinks including Maple Espresso and Matcha Cloud. Later in the day, the coffee bar transitions to wine, spritzes and beer. Sommelier Alex Burch of Bad Idea, recipient of the 2025 MICHELIN Guide American South Sommelier Award, curated the wine list, spanning Loire Valley whites and reds from France and Portugal.

The Yellow Sitting Room At the space's center sits The Yellow Sitting Room, a dedicated listening room inspired by Claude Monet's house in Giverny. Two record players and custom speakers by Hazelwood Laboratories furnish the wallpapered space, arranged as a sitting room rather than traditional café seating. Interiors were designed by Studio Meadow's Anton Anger, with custom millwork by Mesa, tile by Red Rock Tileworks and hand-painted espresso machine work by Darin Stockwell of Gold World.

Background on the O'Laskeys Perenn was founded in 2018 in Reno, Nevada, as an entirely self-funded operation.

The O'Laskeys met while studying at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. Tyler's experience includes roles at Blue Hill at Stone Barns and Thunderbird Lodge, where he served as Co-Executive Chef. Aubrey completed an externship at The Girl & the Fig and holds a Level I certification from the Court of Master Sommeliers. After graduating from the CIA, they launched Butter + Salt, a private chef and catering company. Perenn's Reno locations include the original Midtown location (2018), Perenn Rancharrah, and Claio Rotisserie (2022). The family relocated to Middle Tennessee in 2024 to expand into the region.

Hours and Access Perenn Grocery operates 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily at 1218 Martin Street, Nashville, TN 37203.

More information is available at perennbakery.com and @perenngrocery on Instagram.

Why It Matters

The model merges three revenue streams—retail, food service and beverage—into a single destination, a strategy emerging among upscale independent operators seeking to deepen customer engagement and capture multiple dayparts. The emphasis on producer relationships and exclusive imports (notably the Estate Dairy butter) positions Perenn as a destination for quality-conscious consumers, mirroring strategies seen in specialty grocers across major metros.

For more insights and trends in the food and beverage sector, check out more articles in The Food & Beverage Magazine family of publications.

Written by FBM Publications Editors