As part of its search for “The Best Farm-to-Table Restaurants in Every State,” Travel + Leisure magazine has recognized 212 Market Restaurant as the best farm-to-table restaurant in the state of Tennessee. According to Travel + Leisure, the writers consulted top food experts to select restaurants that “stand out from the pack by not only creating exciting innovative cuisine with a locally sourced menu, but also by applying that same eco-minded culinary philosophy to every aspect of the operation.”
When Maggie Moses and her daughters Susan and Sally opened 212 Market Restaurant in 1992, the article notes, serving local food “was a groundbreaking feat.” “Today, the establishment still continues to set the standard for excellence in eco-conscious dining,” the writers add, citing the restaurant’s “grass-fed burgers, homemade baked goods, solar-powered roof, on-site herb garden, and electric car chargers in the parking lot” as reasons to love 212 Market.
212 Market Restaurant owner/manager Sally Moses said, "In the past year, we’ve received a great deal of recognition for our sustainability efforts, including the Roosevelt-Ashe Outstanding Business Award from Wild South and the Times Free Press reader’s award for Best Green Business or Organization, and now being recognized by a national publication like Travel + Leisure is really gratifying. It’s especially important to us to make local food accessible to everyone by keeping our prices comparable to other restaurants; so as the article says, eating local ‘is only logical.’”
In 2007, 212 Market became the first certified green restaurant in Tennessee. The restaurant is certified by the green|light program and by the Tennessee Green Hospitality Association.