The Dotted Lime is a Family Affair

On an unassuming spot in an unassuming town sits a bright lime green building bursting with personality and amazing food. The Dotted Lime is located in Columbia, Tennessee (aka “Muletown”) but it’s not your typical southern family fare. Started by 4th generation, New York born chef Paul Jensen and his southern spouse Chrissy, everything at The Dotted Lime is gluten-free and nut-free, a not so typical quality for a small town in middle Tennessee.

But Paul and Chrissy aren’t so typical either. Chrissy suffers from celiac disease so her body cannot handle gluten which initiated the idea of opening a completely gluten-free spot. She masterminds all of the baked goods including their bestselling cinnamon roll, which is also vegan. Everything is made in house and made from scratch daily so that they can control every ingredient and cooking method. They source all of their pasture-raised non-GMO fed protein and organic produce from local farmers and the dishes are delicious, creative, and incredibly fresh.

“The name came from lots of brainstorming,” says Chrissy. After weeks of playing with word combinations, Chrissy called Paul with The Dotted Lime as a fresh reference to “signing on the dotted line” on this huge family endeavor.

When they first opened, they didn’t tell anyone they were gluten-free because of the small southern town they lived in - but locals loved it immediately. Chrissy explains, “word got out through a small sign shared on social media and despite being called ‘the hippie restaurant,’  and ‘that green healthy place,’ the locals already loved the food and family-friendly atmosphere.” Customers with food allergies then started flocking in from all over the country. In fact, there are two maps in the restaurant with pins noting where visitors come from — one is a U.S. map, and one is a world map; both are quite full of pins.

Oh, and did I mention, Paul and Chrissy are also parents to 13 kids — 4 biological and 9 adopted — who all participate in the thriving family business? Chrissy’s eyes sparkle as she talks about how each child has found their place. Chrissy says, “any one — or several — of the kids can be found bustling around the restaurant on any given day taking customer orders, washing dishes, or checking in with locals and wiping tables.” Even the tip jar reads, “College Fund. (And maybe candy).” 

Chrissy shares how much pride each child takes in their role at The Dotted Lime. One daughter has become a master salad dressing emulsifier, another son is the most generous host, and all of them have learned the concept and nuances of customer service. She delights in sharing that the kids make some money and then go out and spend it in the local community, supporting other small businesses in the area.

And when the 2020 pandemic hit, The Dotted Lime rose up. They started a program wherein customers could add a $10 meal option from the menu that would convert to a gift card for local restaurant workers who were out of work. Later, they distributed the gift cards to families from the local school who needed help. They also worked hand-in-hand with the local farmers to help buy products the farmers couldn’t sell and create chef-level dishes that worked with the surplus.

These days, The Dotted Lime and this family of 15 are quite busy. In addition to the brick-and-mortar restaurant, they offer fine dining private dinner parties and larger event catering, sell baking blends online, Chrissy offers a bake shop with custom cakes, and they have a chef-curated pop-up-style kitchenarium called Lime and Loaf that sells kitchen supplies and baking mixes. Lime and Loaf is expanding to a larger location, too. And as if their gaggle of kids weren’t enough, they have several dogs, mini-ponies, two cows, and a couple donkeys, all of which Chrissy will gladly show you pictures of and smile as you show her your pet pictures too. It’s easy to feel like a part of The Dotted Lime family. I sure do now.