Most people who live in Lynchburg, Tenn., either farm or work at the major industry in town — the Jack Daniel distillery. And since Lynne Tolley is related to the distillery's founder (Jack Daniel was her great-great uncle), you might think she'd jump right into the whiskey business.

        But Ms. Tolley fought it at first, swearing she'd “never” work for the distillery. Earning a degree in food and nutrition from the University of Georgia, she worked as a school nutritionist. When she tired of that 21 years ago, she dropped by Jack Daniel to see if they had any openings. The folks at the distillery decided her knowledge, charm and bloodline would make her the perfect VIP tour guide.

        Later, when Jack Daniel bought Miss Mary Bobo's Boarding House nearby, they asked Ms. Tolley to manage it. She's written two cookbooks, including Miss Mary Bobo's Boarding House Cookbook (Rutledge Hill; $17.99). And now, between serving fried chicken, fresh vegetables and whiskey-laced desserts to lunch guests, Ms. Tolley serves as an official taster at the distillery.

IF YOU GO

• Miss Mary Bobo's Boarding House is open 11 a.m.-2 p.m., Monday-Saturday. (Closed major holidays.) (931) 759-7394.   • Jack Daniel Distillery is open 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. daily. (Closed major holidays.) (931) 759-6183.

        On a trip north to plug the Jack Daniel's barbecue sauce recipe contest, she sat down at lunch to answer a few questions.

        Question: What do we know about Jack Daniel?

        Answer: Well, we know he was quite the ladies' man. And he was always a distiller, beginning at about 16. . . . He never married, but he had 13 brothers and sisters.

        Q: How did you get to become a Jack Daniel taster?

        A: I went to them and said: Look guys, I'm a relative. It's in my blood. So they made me a trainee for a year, and I had to pass tests. . . . Now, I'm the only woman taster for the Jack Daniel's Single Barrel whiskey. I think women are actually the best tasters because our sense of smell is better.

        Q: So how do you drink your Jack?

        A: With a splash of water.

        Q: Do you drink anything else?

        A: Sure. I like a good ice cold beer in the summer and a good cold gin and tonic. And you know, I went on a Scottish whiskey tour last year, and I drank Scotch.

        Q: What do you think of Scotch?

        A: It's just not for me. Scotch is too flat. You can't wrap your tongue around it. You know, we sell our used barrels to them, and they use it to age Scotch. I told them that if more people knew their Scotch was kissed with a little Jack Daniel's, they might sell more of it.

        Q: We're on the edge of bourbon country. What do you think of bourbon?

        A: It's pretty good stuff. In my opinion, bourbon and Tennessee whiskey are very similar. Both are made from mostly corn. But our whiskey goes through the extra step of charcoal mellowing. We think that makes a difference.

BARBECUE CONTEST

Entries for the Jack Daniel's Great American Grill-Out “The Secret is in the Sauce” Recipe Contest must be postmarked by Friday (June 29). Enter by sending an original barbecue sauce recipe prepared with at least 1/2 cup Jack Daniel's Whiskey, with name, address, phone number and date of birth to: Jack Daniel's Recipe Competition, P.O. Box 198996, Nashville, TN. 37219-8996. Grand prize is a paid round-trip for two to the Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitational Barbecue Contest in Lynchburg, Tenn., Oct. 27.

        Q: When you cook with Jack Daniel's, with what does the whiskey work best?

        A: It works beautifully with anything that's chocolate or caramel, and it's great in marinades because it tenderizes. . . . Our restaurant in Lynchburg is in a dry county, but we cook with Jack Daniel's every day. Usually, it's candied apples or tipsy sweet potatoes. And any dessert that calls for vanilla, we use Jack Daniel's instead.

        Q: You serve only Southern food at Miss Mary Bobo's. Do you think Southerners are better cooks?

        A: I do. I don't hesitate to say that. The South is traditionally rural. We entertain by having people over, and when you have them over, you want to have good drinks and good food. In the South, we have longer growing seasons, so we know how to make great vegetables. And we always do homemade bread.

        Q: You have many non-Southerners eating at your restaurant. Are they fascinated by Southern cooking?

        A: Oh yes. They'll sit down and say they can't wait to try it. One person told me one day: “You never hear anybody say let's go up north and have some good Yankee food!”

A poet for the people
Poet sensed success
Art collectors offer their 'Treasures'
Painting a gentler world
DAUGHERTY: A week in Umbria? Travel mags don't get it
Lakota East student intrigued by unicorn legend
Opera's double bill of terror
Visually stunning 'Butterfly' not to be missed
Get to It
Did too much hype sink 'Pearl Harbor'?
Tired 'Discomfort' full of dysfunction
KENDRICK: Helen Keller: So beautiful
Little local shops standing up to Starbucks
MARTIN: Cookbook characterizes life at inn
Marriages are mead in heaven
Whiskey in her blood
Social Scene