Carey Bringle owns and operates Peg Leg Porker, a highly successful barbecue restaurant in Nashville’s Gulch district. When Mayor John Cooper proposed raising property taxes by 32% to keep all government employees on the payroll, Carey protested in an open letter that went viral.
Carey Bringle, owner of Peg Leg Porker barbecue restaurant in the Gulch area of Nashville (Peg Leg Porker/2019)
RELATED: Bob Dylan’s Heaven’s Door Distillery Helps Musicians
I sat down with Carey in the Gulch on May 13, 2020, soon after restaurants were allowed to reopen in Nashville. We discussed the challenges restaurants would face in a post-coronavirus world, Memphis barbecue, bourbon, and his podcast, Live From BS Corner.
Carey explains that business owners impacted by the coronavirus pandemic are facing many issues. His restaurant chose not to open for carry-out orders only. Instead, his team regrouped and decided on their plan of action whenever restaurants could reopen for customers. In addition to not being able to serve his faithful customers, Carey also missed traveling the country and attending festivals such as the Memphis In May World Championship BBQ cooking contest.
Peg Leg Porker Tennessee Bourbon Whiskey (Peg Leg Porker/2019)
In the past several years, this award-winning barbecue pitmaster has been asked to cook at the James Beard House on two occasions. He started catering about ten years ago and opened the Nashville restaurant in 2013 to rave reviews. Besides cooking, Carey fancies bourbon and produces Peg Leg Porker Tennessee Straight Bourbon Whiskey and a 12-year-old Limited Release.
However, it was his open letter to Mayor Cooper that caught my attention. Carey explains that since he opened in 2013, his property taxes alone have increased over 1100 percent. If Mayor Cooper’s proposal passes, he would owe about $72,000 annually in property taxes, which is more than his initial mortgage.
RELATED: Celebrity Hairstylist Melissa Schleicher
Carey is definitely a “no BS guy.” You don’t want to miss this episode!