Kahlil Arnold
Contributor
Kahlil Arnold’s first brush with culinary greatness happened when he was just 13: His father, Jack Arnold, put him to work washing pots in the kitchens of the already legendary Arnold’s Country Kitchen. After college, Kahlil spent time at another Southern institution, the Loveless Cafe, before rejoining the family business.
Opened by husband-and-wife team Jack and Rose Arnold in 1982, Arnold’s Country Kitchen in Nashville, Tennessee, became famous for its scratch-made Southern cooking. Nashvillians and visitors alike gladly wait in the Southern sun for their turn to push their red trays down the meat-and-three line, anticipating dishes like slow-simmered greens, crisp fried green tomatoes, and blistery braised green beans. Jack died in 2023, which resulted in a temporary closure, but Kahlil reopened the doors and continues serving the happiest diners in Middle Tennessee.
In 2009, Arnold’s was honored with the James Beard American Classics Award. The restaurant has been written about in Garden & Gun, Maxim, Southern Living, SAVEUR, and more; it has also been featured on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives, among other shows.
