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The Michelin Guide has announced its verdict on hotels and restaurants in its inaugural American South Ceremony. 

One Williamson County restaurant, January, has earned a Green Star for sustainability excellence from Michelin. January, which opened in early 2024, is located outside of Franklin at Southall Farm & Inn, and grows many of its ingredients onsite. Southall opened in late 2022 with rates upwards of $800 per night, offering a working farm and event center as well as a spa and onsite cottages in addition to guest rooms. 

Nashville restaurants The Catbird Seat, Locust and Bastion earned a Michelin Star, and the Hermitage Hotel earned two Michelin Keys. Arnold’s Country Kitchen, Audrey, Bad Idea, Cafe Roze, Folk, Hattie B’s, iggy’s, International Market, Rolf and Daughters, Shotgun Willie's and Tailor were all also listed as recommended eateries. Read more in Williamson Scene sister publication the Nashville Scene. 

Franklin Police Announces Reunification Program

The Franklin Police Department has announced a program to assist in reunification for people with disabilities. 

Home Safe Franklin allows people to register their loved ones who have Alzheimer’s, autism or other disabilities that make them prone to wandering or becoming lost. The department will store current contact information as well as a recent photo, description and known routines to refer to in the event someone goes missing. 

The announcement comes on the heels of a statewide conference focused on forging relationships between people with autism and law enforcement officers. It was hosted in Franklin by the UT Law Enforcement Innovation Center and featured keynote speaker Love on the Spectrum star Tanner Smith. 

“The goal is simple — to bring loved ones home safely,” Franklin Police Chief Deb Faulkner says. “When someone goes missing, every minute counts. This program gives our officers critical information right away, helping us locate and reunite families faster.”

Local Church Opens Food Pantry 

A Franklin church is opening a food pantry in the wake of a lapse in SNAP funding due to the federal shutdown. 

Shorter Chapel AME Church is set to open a food pantry on Nov. 15 at 263 Natchez St., part of the Shorter Chapel Community Life Center. 

“To whom much is given, much is required,” said Rev. Wilkins. “We at Shorter Chapel feel blessed to be a blessing to our community.”

As of Nov. 1, people who use the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program to get groceries are no longer seeing money loaded onto their cards. Williamson County nonprofits, including One Generation Away and GraceWorks, have ramped up their efforts and have asked for additional donations. 

GraceWorks was designed for moments like this,” says Alicia Bell, CEO of GraceWorks Ministries. “We are not federally funded, we know how to operate in an environment where we must remain agile to meet evolving needs, and we provide help directly to those who need it.

"We also make a little go a long way; in our food program we can turn $1 into $10 in order to support more of our neighbors. While we pray for resolution and the restoration of SNAP benefits, we are watching and preparing for the number of neighbors we support to grow – and we will be right here to provide the support they need.”