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A daily look at the most significant and interesting stories affecting Nashville. Written by Nate Rau and Adam Tamburin.

Axios Nashville Thought Bubble

Axios Nashville

Tennessee's list of infrastructure projects needed to support transportation, education and public safety grew for the seventh consecutive year, according to a new report approved last week.

The price tag for all of the state’s needs has reached $62.9 billion, according to the Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations.

That’s a more than $1 billion increase over last year’s total, which officials say is driven in part by inflation.

Why it matters: The report underscores the urgent need for better roads and bridges as the state’s population continues to soar.

Gov. Bill Lee has made infrastructure improvements a top legislative priority this year, with his administration looking for new ways to fund road projects.

Driving the news: Transportation needs, which sit at $34.7 billion in the latest report, are outpacing the available state funding.

Gas tax revenue, which is a major component of road project funding, is down. The tax is expected to generate about $939 million in revenue during the current fiscal year. 

Lee and top lawmakers have suggested partnering with private companies to run express toll lanes as one possibility to defray road costs in urban areas.

They would give drivers the choice to bypass traffic by paying a fee to travel in a dedicated lane.

What we're watching: Lee is expected to unveil more details about his infrastructure plans next week during his State of the State address.

Lee's spokesperson tells Axios he will seek to "alleviate urban traffic congestion and more efficiently deliver infrastructure projects all across the state" without raising taxes.

Zoom out: Other major areas contributing to infrastructure needs include education at $14.8 billion, which includes new school buildings and renovations, and health, safety and welfare at $8.9 billion, most of which comes from wastewater projects.

More than two-thirds of projects in the report aren't funded, although projects typically get more funding as they move through early phases of development.

What she's saying: State Sen. Heidi Campbell (D-Nashville) tells Axios she'd like to see the state — and city leaders in Nashville — take a forward-looking approach to transportation, rather than focusing on "road expansion."

Campbell, who sits on the TACIR and the Senate Transportation and Safety Committee, says she'd like to see more urgent work on passenger trains and light rail options.

"Just paving roads and fortifying bridges here and there is not going to get us where we need to go when we have such a burgeoning traffic issue, especially in Middle Tennessee."

"We have more money coming in from the federal government than we have in a long time,” Campbell says, referring to the federal infrastructure bill that passed in 2021.

"This is the time to make those big decisions that can actually pay off in the long term."

Tennessee's infrastructure needs keep growing

The money needed to support transportation, education and public safety keeps growing.

Illustration of Tennessee state surrounded by scaffolding.

Illustration: Allie Carl/Axios and Maura Losch/Axios

Tennessee

Tennessee&#x27;s list of infrastructure projects needed to support transportation, education and public safety grew for the seventh consecutive year, according to <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="a new report" data-vars-click-url="https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/tacir/commission-meetings/2023january/2023Jan_Tab4Infra_ReportFrontPart.pdf" data-vars-content-id="12cfde0d-1edd-4402-a3f1-2e6386bf84d1" data-vars-headline="Tennessee&#x27;s infrastructure needs keep growing" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/tacir/commission-meetings/2023january/2023Jan_Tab4Infra_ReportFrontPart.pdf" target="_blank">a new report</a> approved last week.

News

Mayor John Cooper announced Tuesday he will not seek re-election and will instead step down at the end of his first term.

"We've gotten more accomplished in the [last] 40 months than any 40 months in Metro history, and we will finish strong," Cooper said during a brief speech announcing his decision.

Cooper said he would prioritize investing in public safety and education, addressing homelessness and working on the revitalization of the East Bank for the remainder of his term.

Why it matters: Cooper's departure makes for a wide-open race for the mayoral election on Aug. 3. Three credible candidates have already launched campaigns with many more likely to enter the fray.

The deadline to qualify for the ballot is May 18.

What he's saying: "I have no doubt there are and will be many exceptional people applying for the job," Cooper said. "They should. We need them to."

"I hope Nashville's next mayor will use the platform we have created and build on it."

💭 Nate's thought bubble: It's been a tumultuous era of Nashville politics.

Dating back to Mayor Megan Barry's shocking resignation in 2018, the city is on the brink of having its fourth mayor in just over five years.

The upcoming mayor's race figures to be a political bloodbath with the range of a dozen viable candidates entering the fray.

Nashville Mayor John Cooper won't seek re-election

Mayor John Cooper announced Tuesday he will not seek re-election and will instead step down at the end of his first term.&quot;We&#x27;ve gotten more accomplished in the [last] 40 months than any 40 months in Metro history, and we will finish strong,&quot; Cooper said during a <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="brief speech" data-vars-click-url="https://www.facebook.com/foxnashville/videos/924753798693609" data-vars-content-id="3297764d-8031-4b29-9ece-d5d9560e2204" data-vars-headline="Nashville Mayor John Cooper won&#x27;t seek re-election" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.facebook.com/foxnashville/videos/924753798693609" target="_blank">brief speech</a> announcing his decision.

Politics

With stints at fine dining restaurants in New York and country club kitchens in Nashville, Julio Hernandez was already accomplished in the food world when he brokered the deal in 2020 that ultimately put him in the running for a prestigious James Beard Award.

Details: Hernandez convinced his wife Emma to pool together their pandemic stimulus checks so he could buy 200 pounds of dry corn and a new stone grain mill to make tortillas.

"I told her, 'Instead of purchasing margaritas for pandemic nights and movies at the house, let me take your check,'" Hernandez tells Axios. "She trusted me with it, and there were two stimulus checks that kicked everything off."

What's happening: Hernandez has been on a rocket ship in the culinary world ever since. He was highlighted in the pages of Bon Appetit magazine, named a rising star in the food industry magazine StarChefs and featured in the Nashville episode of the hit Netflix show "Somebody Feed Phil."

Then came the news that Hernandez is a semifinalist for the James Beard Award for emerging chef.

"I had to explain to my mom, the James Beard is like the Oscars but for food."

Flashback: Hernandez moved to Nashville 12 years ago, working in country club kitchens where the first question he was asked was whether he knew how to make casseroles. 

Next came a stint at the beloved Donelson restaurant Nectar Urban Cantina, where Hernandez was when he made that fateful leap.

Hernandez used that first bag of corn and the new mill to make tortillas, which he first sold out of his garage. Then he delivered them around Nashville before building up enough cash to buy his own food truck.

State of play: Hernandez took the truck to farmers markets all over the city and then parked at the newly launched cocktail bar Chopper Tiki on Sundays.

Eventually he realized that the East Nashville bar was the best fit for his authentic cuisine. His truck is a permanent fixture there now. 

"You have a few cocktails, then you have to smash some tacos. It tastes good, and you feel good," he says.

What's next: He broke the family's home oven in the early days, staying up until morning making hundreds of tortillas himself. But now Hernandez, 32, has upgraded his production capacity, thanks to space he found in the Bordeaux area that can crank out 3,000 tortillas per hour.

Next up is a brick and mortar Maiz De La Vida coming later this year in the Gulch area. He's opening the new shop with business partner Andy Mumma, who's behind Barista Parlor coffee shops and Chopper Tiki.

What he's saying: "It's been a perfect rollercoaster, and it's just exploding, but it's not out of hand," Hernandez tells Axios. "We don't have a PR team. Our PR is people taking pictures of their tacos under the purple light at Chopper and posting it to Instagram. We just appreciate the love, man."

Tacos from Maiz De La Vida. Photo: Courtesy of Maiz De La Vida

👋 Adam here. I stopped by Maiz De La Vida this week to see what all the fuss was about.

The intrigue: The first remarkable thing about my visit was how unremarkable it all seemed as I walked up. There wasn't a line around the block like you might expect after James Beard recognition.

Nothing about the no-frills food truck tucked away on Stratton Avenue prepared me for what came next.

What I ate: The friendly cashier helped me navigate the menu. 

I settled on the popular birria beef tacos and an order of the hash brown quesadillas.

A side of the consommé, a rich beef broth, came highly recommended for dipping.

State of play: Rather than taking my tacos to-go, I opted to wait at the gorgeous, neon-soaked Chopper Tiki.

My drink — the "Robo Zombie" — was on fire. (That's not a figure of speech. It was served with flames peeking from the top of the mug.)

I was only a few sips in when my food arrived at the bar in unassuming disposable trays.

The verdict: The sumptuous shredded beef made my eyes water with joy.

It was the kind of meal that's so delicious you start texting your friends about it before you're finished.

I ordered more tacos (and consommé) to-go and dropped them off at my mom's house to spread the love.

The bottom line: Maiz De La Vida is an accessible gem that foodies and normies alike would love.

The low-key food and the high-concept bar are the perfect pairing for a unique date night.

Julio Hernandez's big deal

Hernandez is a semifinalist for the best chef in the Southeast award.

Maiz De La Vida food truck. Photo: Courtesy of Maiz De La Vida.

Restaurants

With stints at fine dining restaurants in New York and country club kitchens in Nashville, Julio Hernandez was already accomplished in the food world when he brokered the deal in 2020 that ultimately put him in the running for a prestigious <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="James Beard Award" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/nashville/2023/01/26/nashville-restaurants-get-love-from-james-beard-foundation" data-vars-content-id="59c4ae58-8ae1-4320-af92-01181bf6a82c" data-vars-headline="Julio Hernandez&#x27;s big deal" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/nashville/2023/01/26/nashville-restaurants-get-love-from-james-beard-foundation" target="_self">James Beard Award</a>.Details: Hernandez convinced his wife Emma to pool together their pandemic stimulus checks so he could buy 200 pounds of dry corn and a new stone grain mill to make tortillas.

Things to Do

Business

Tyre Nichols' funeral takes place Wednesday in Memphis.

The Rev. J. Lawrence Turner, who is leading the service at Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church, tells Axios it will be a tribute to the free-spirited amateur photographer who loved skateboarding and watching the sun set over the Mississippi River.

It will be a moment of grief for a community suffering yet another "collective trauma."

Turner hopes the 29-year-old's funeral will also become a rallying cry that will encourage mourners to channel their outrage into the ongoing fight for systemic change.

What he's saying: "This is a big moment," Turner says.

The Rev. Al Sharpton, who is giving the eulogy, asked Turner to host the service at his church. 

"We're trying to do our best to combine all of these elements so that this service has meaning and purpose."

Driving the news: Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man, died three days after a brutal police beating. Five officers who are also Black have been charged with murder.

Protests rolled across the country last weekend, and Nichols' name was added to the long list of Black people killed by police. Some expressed their weariness.

"We wouldn't be fully human if we couldn't admit that there are times where we're like, you know, 'What's the use?'" Turner says.

"But we don't allow ourselves to stay there. We find the energy and the strength to keep pressing on."

State of play: Turner says he has seen positive, if incremental, change.

Last year, Shelby County elected progressive District Attorney Steve Mulroy. Turner tied that election with the speedy investigation and indictments in this case.

"I always talk about justice as a destination," Turner says, adding that many more steps will be necessary.

The bottom line: Turner says Nichols "represents many of us who have hopes and aspirations and dreams."

"Tragically, his life was taken away at the hands of those officers," he says. "However, I think he teaches us to live and fulfill a greater purpose."

"I think in his life, and even in his death, he's going to hopefully shift and bring about a change that we've been waiting for in the life of our country."

Watch: The service will take place Wednesday at 10:30am. You can stream it live on WREG.com. 

Tyre Nichols' funeral to take place in Memphis

Pastor: Nichols "teaches us to ... fulfill a greater purpose."

A candlelight vigil in memory of Tyre Nichols at the Tobey Skate Park in Memphis. Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images

Police

Tyre Nichols&#x27; funeral takes place Wednesday in Memphis.The Rev. J. Lawrence Turner, who is leading the service at Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church, tells Axios it will be a tribute to the free-spirited amateur photographer who loved skateboarding and watching the sun set over the Mississippi River.

Pullman Standard, a new cocktail lounge that opened last week in Cummins Station, is seeking to elevate happy hour options available in the downtown core.

James Beard Award-winning chef RJ Cooper, who previously helmed Saint Stephen, is overseeing a food menu of seasonal small plates.

Bar director Amy Van Buren has been recognized in national cocktail-making competitions.

Driving the news: The bar was designed to evoke the dining cars popular in passenger trains in the 1920s, general manager Noah Williams tells Axios.

He wants the 62-seat bar to be a cozy refuge for folks looking for a date night or after-work drink.

What he's saying: "We want everyone to feel welcome," Williams says. "We’re not trying to reinvent the wheel, but we are trying to make the best cocktails we can and make sure they are beautiful and delicious every time they go out."

Zoom in: Food options include high-end takes on classic bar snacks like pork rinds and chips with onion dip.

The drink menu mixes classics like martinis with a long list of originally crafted cocktails.

A new happy hour option for Cummins Station

James Beard Award-winning RJ Cooper is at the helm.

Pullman Standard, a <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="new cocktail lounge" data-vars-click-url="https://www.pullmanstandardbar.com/" data-vars-content-id="efdeca4b-61ae-405e-93a8-e787d4e990f4" data-vars-headline="A new happy hour option for Cummins Station" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.pullmanstandardbar.com/" target="_blank">new cocktail lounge</a> that opened last week in Cummins Station, is seeking to elevate happy hour options available in the downtown core.<ul><li>James Beard Award-winning chef RJ Cooper, who previously helmed <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Saint Stephen" data-vars-click-url="https://www.nashvillepost.com/business/retail/germantown-restaurant-closes-after-3-5-year-run/article_7e80d6dc-5ee1-11ed-978b-a7b4980a5701.html" data-vars-content-id="efdeca4b-61ae-405e-93a8-e787d4e990f4" data-vars-headline="A new happy hour option for Cummins Station" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.nashvillepost.com/business/retail/germantown-restaurant-closes-after-3-5-year-run/article_7e80d6dc-5ee1-11ed-978b-a7b4980a5701.html" target="_blank">Saint Stephen</a>, is overseeing <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="a food menu" data-vars-click-url="https://www.pullmanstandardbar.com/menus" data-vars-content-id="efdeca4b-61ae-405e-93a8-e787d4e990f4" data-vars-headline="A new happy hour option for Cummins Station" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.pullmanstandardbar.com/menus" target="_blank">a food menu</a> of seasonal small plates.</li><li>Bar director Amy Van Buren has been recognized in national cocktail-making competitions.</li></ul>

Adam Tamburin

Featured stories

Julio Hernandez's big deal

Tennessee's infrastructure needs keep growing

Tyre Nichols' funeral to take place in Memphis

Nashville Mayor John Cooper won't seek re-election

A new happy hour option for Cummins Station