12 Must-Have Items This Nashville Food Pro Needs

Photography By Rebecca Denton & Jenn Davis | October 06, 2016

Jill Melton, Founder and Editor of Edible Nashville

We couldn’t help but imagine what Jill Melton, editor of Edible Nashville magazine and master of the kitchen, keeps stocked in her kitchen. Thankfully, she opened her cabinets, pantry and fridge to give us a glimpse into what she always has on hand for the impromptu homemade soup, her morning coffee or a quick snack. Read on and then get your list together to get stocked, yourself! --As seen in Style Blueprint, 2016. Updated 2023.

Jill Melton’s Kitchen Essentials

#1. Parmigiana-Reggiano cheese

Jill grates this European cheese over just about everything — from simple pasta dinners to potatoes to pizza — and tosses the flavorful rind into soups. “The longer it steeps, the better it tastes,” she tells us.

#2. The tri-colored raisin medley from Trader Joe’s

These raisins can be used for snacks of all kinds, but Jill uses them as her go-to dessert and as an addition to her homemade granola.

#3. Hatcher or JD Country Milk

Hatcher Family Dairy has been farming in College Grove, Tennessee, since 1831. They have a dairy store on the farm, where you can shop for all kinds of milk, as well as farm-fresh meat, eggs, cheese and baked goods.

Another favorite of Jill’s is JD Country Milk, which comes from a family-owned dairy farm in Logan County, Kentucky. The quality milk is hormone free, and can be found at Green Door Gourmet and The Produce Place.

The signature Butter Bell created by RV Pottery can also be used as a tumbler as well.

#4. Butter (kept in a butter bell)

Jill has had a butter bell for more years than she can remember. An ingenius creation that allows you to keep butter on the counter immersed in cold water so it stays fresh and is soft and spreadable. Such a favorite that she had Edible Butter Bells made by local potter, Rachel Vandivort of RV Pottery.

#5. Local beer

With an infinite number of breweries calling Nashville home, local beer is quickly becoming a staple in kitchens around town. Jill always has local beer on hand, and right now, she is loving Bearded Iris, Homestyle.

#6. Great Harvest whole wheat or nine-grain bread

Coming from a family-owned farm in Montana, Great Harvest Bread Company has bakeries and bakery cafes all across the nation. Locally, you can find a Great Harvest franchise in Green Hills. Why does Jill love this bread? “It is super earthy, and you get three grams of fiber per serving,” she tells us. She also loves the Sweet Potato Rolls from Village Bakery, availalble at Produce Place, and teh Freindship Bread by Pharmakulture at Richand Park Farmers Market.

#7. Good jam

Recently, Jill’s option for good jam has been her homemade strawberry jam recipe from Rebekah Turshen at City House. She also loves The Loveless Cafe’s fig jam preserves, which she uses in this easy pork loin recipe and these Jam Almond Crumble Bars.

#8. Almond butter

Almond butter serves many purposes for Jill. She spreads it on toast and puts in her famous Almond Butter White Chocolate Cookies (aka Karma Cookies). She loves the all-naural nut butters locally made by Bae's Butters.

#9. French press coffee pot

There is no better way to start the morning than with some good ol’ caffeine and it tastes best from a French press, which Jill prefers some mornings.

#10. Breville espresso machine

But most mornings, she make a cappucinno, which she has perfected. She's had this machine for more than 12 years and it's still gojng strong.

#11. Pasta

Alfresco Pasta is a pasta company that has been providing the Southeast with fresh pasta since 2000. Lately, this is Jill’s pasta of choice. Their ravioli, gnocchi, tortellini, cappelletti-style pasta, canelloni and seasonal specials can be found at their Little Hats Market, The Produce Place, Porter Road Butcher, CoCo’s Italian Market and the Franklin Farmers Market. This Ricotta Gnocchi with Bacon recipe is perfect for a quick weeknight dinner.

#12. Soda stream

Jill claims to live on fizzy water — hence the need for a soda stream. She combines the fizzy soda with all kinds of juice and her kids love it as much as she does. This also cuts down on plastic waste from bottles, a major concern for Jill in the kitchen.

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