Meet Ashley Bouknight-Claybrooks | Baker | Artist | Historian

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ashley Bouknight-Claybrooks and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ashley, let’s talk legacy – what do you want yours to be?
I want people to remember the passion I put into every batch. Baking is a spiritual experience for me. Each recipe connects me to multiple generations of my ancestors who prepared dishes with so much love.

What should our readers know about your business?
LilaLue Sweets is a small batch, online bakery in Nashville, TN. Lila was my maternal grandmother, born during Prohibition in South Carolina. Although we never met, my mother and her family shared many stories about her life. She worked as a maid, ran moonshine on the weekends, but was most known for her cooking. In the later half of her life she served as a baker at the University of South Carolina. My mother beams at the memories of Lila coming home to their two-room home with pans of cinnamon rolls. She raised five children on her own and always found a way to make life a little bit brighter. This is the legacy Lila left behind. Her resilience as a mother and an entrepreneur inspires me daily.

As an artist, museum curator, and historian, baking provided a seamless way to share all of my work. Each treat is created in love and based on family recipes. The inclusion of whiskey is in memory of Lila, who would have LOVED the extra kick! Even my choice in the packaging was intentional. The chose of blue boxes is a nod to the South Carolina “haint blue.” The color is often applied to the exterior of buildings as a call for infinite protection from the ancestors. The blue also represents the Prussian blue paint color used on the walls of plantation owners in the antebellum period. The paint color was extremely expensive and only the wealthy could afford it. While working as the curator for a presidential site in Nashville for nearly 10 years, I remember looking at the blue painted walls while simultaneously thinking about the Black bodies the slaved along side them. I wanted customers to have a meaningful experience from box to first bite. Not only are our treats damn good, they speak to a history of resilience and creativity. Once you order , we know you’ll be back. We just say, “Thank you for your order, and welcome to the LilaLue family.” 🙂

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I’d definitely take my best friend to the National Museum of African American Music followed by a bite at Slim and Husky’s Pizza Beeria. If they wanted hot chicken, Prince’s Hot Chicken or Helen’s Hot Chicken are my favs. For drinks, we would head to Germantown Pub (they also have some of the BEST wings in the city). Before leaving downtown we have to take a tour with United Street Tours. This Black, woman-owned business showcases the city in a way like none other. It’s engaging and highlights this history of Black Nashville like no other tour in the city. We also have to see the Civil Rights Room at the Nashville Public Library. They do amazing work by using artifacts and photographs to explain Nashville’s contribution to the Civil Rights Movement. We’d have to check out Fisk and tour the Carl Van Vechten Gallery and the Aaron Douglas Gallery. These galleries are filled with beautiful art, including an array of pieces by Black artists. If my friend wanted to take a drive, we would drive 30 minutes outside of Nashville to Franklin, Tennessee to see the McLemore House. The home was built by a former slave and now chronicles the history of African Americans in Williamson County. Since were already in the car, I’d end the trip with a trip to Shelbyville to the Uncle Nearest Distillery. Known as “Uncle Nearest,” Nathan Green was the enslaved man who taught whiskey making to Jack Daniels. I love the story and the whiskey. (It’s a favorite at LilaLue’s!)

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I’d like to shout my village. They know who they are. From DC to New Orleans. From Nashville to Atlanta. My beautiful circle of friends and chosen family have been there for me every step of the way. Love you all.

Website: www.lilaluesweets.com

Instagram: @lilaluesweets

Facebook: @lilaluesweets

Image Credits
All food pictures: Kyle Brown Photography, Nashville TN Ashley headshot: Kirby Antoine Photography, Atlanta, Georgia