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Photo by Michael O’Hearn/Crossroads Chronicle The bar and lounge now occupies the building that was home to the former Cork and Barrel and Table 64 businesses, which closed last summer.
A new restaurant, bar and lounge has been opened in Sapphire by a retired country singer who has spent the last two years back home on the plateau.
The Fix Restaurant Bar and Lounge now occupies the building that was home to the former Cork and Barrel and Table 64 businesses, which closed last summer. Owner Erica Nicole said the place is going to be the destination for those who are looking for “the fix” in the form of upscale entertainment and food they will not be able to find anywhere else.
During her 18-year music career, Nicole opened for country musicians such as Eric Church, Miranda Lambert and Brad Paisley, headlined her own shows, and has sung the national anthem at Red Sox and New York Mets baseball games at Fenway Park and Citi Field.
She was inspired by classic country artists such as George Strait, Dolly Parton, and Patsy Cline, but she channels musical icon Tina Turner during her live shows. She’s also received awards like Country Breakout Artist of the Year, Independent Female Artist of the Year, and the Nashville Independent Music Awards Artist of the Year.
After a devastating fire engulfed her parents’ home on Bald Rock, Nicole transitioned out of her music career and landed in Jackson County. Nicole gave a shout out to Glenville-Cashiers Fire Department chief Randy Dillard and his team for helping her and her family through that event in May 2019. Nicole said her parents and their pets came out of the fire unharmed.
Nicole has now transitioned to the restaurant business, and she opened the bar and lounge section on the right side of the building on New Year’s Eve.
“When I lived in Nashville, I had a concept of doing farm to table dinners,” Nicole said. “So, living here after I retired from music two and a half years ago, I thought maybe I could start a farm-to-table concept here. That was the original idea, especially coming after COVID where we lost live music, we lost our favorite restaurants, those great, cool things that we lost then because COVID obviously shut everything down.”
The restaurant was created by Nicole and chef Jonathan Reed coming together to pair a six-course meal with live acoustic music.
“When Chef J.R. and I partnered up on this, we wanted to offer the acoustic music and we wanted to offer the six-course dinner,” Nicole said. “The menu’s kind of a surprise and it’s once a month. That was the original idea behind The Fix. That then grew into the concept of, I ended up buying this building as an investment, and there’s open space where a restaurant once was. Why not make The Fix a restaurant?”
When the Cork and Barrel closed, as the owner of the building, Nicole decided to open a section of it again as a more upscale sports bar.
“Hence, The Fix,” Nicole said. “You can come here because I’ve got the NFL package. You can come here because I’ve got bar food you can’t get anywhere else. You come here because my wine list, I offer over 100 wines. You come here to get your fix.”
The restaurant side of the business will open in February and offer breakfast, lunch, brunch and dinner. Nicole also enlisted the help of Chef Ken Naron from Baton Rouge, who comes from Mountaintop and Canyon Kitchen. He was also instrumental in the opening of The Library Kitchen and Bar near The Fix in Sapphire.
“I love his flair, I love his tastes, and just his excitement with everything,” Nicole said. “He’s really crafted a menu that I think is exceptional, and again, goes in line with the whole concept of The Fix. It’s different and not something you can get anywhere else.”
Nicole graduated from Western Carolina University in 2003, so opening a restaurant in Jackson County is like a homecoming to her. Her family also lives here, and she said she wanted to spend more time with them toward the end of her music career.
“When this opportunity fell in my lap, I was like, ‘you know what, this would be great,’ and why not go for it,” Nicole said. “I love food, I love wine, I love to cook, you know, so it’s something that it was just, all right, well, here’s an opportunity. Let’s go for it.”
Nicole thanked the community for helping her start the business, including Sharon Holt of Green Thumb who worked on the landscaping in front of the building, Kevin Claire, Janet Martin from Wolfgang’s Restaurant and Wine Bistro in Highlands and Brian Graham.
“It’s something they have all come together and made such a difference with The Fix, because they’ve cared for The Fix as though it were their own,” she said. “It just speaks volumes about how great this community is, and I love promoting the fact that we have great small business owners here.”
- By Michael O'Hearn/Crossroads Chronicle