Mailea Weger: On East Nashville’s Lou, Natural Wines & More
If you don't know about Mailea Weger, she should be on your radar. The owner of beloved East Nashville restaurant, lou, is making waves in Nashville's wine scene.
Thereβs a lot thatβs intriguing about Mailea Weger. After all, sheβs a well-traveled, California-born and bred, Paris-inspired woman who studied at the Culinary Institute of San Diego. Sheβs paid her dues in kitchens from New York and New Orleans to France. But sheβs best known locally as the owner of East Nashvilleβs all-day eatery, lou, a favorite destination since its opening in September 2019. Beloved for its brunch, the restaurant is also known for its impressive natural wine list β a passion Mailea keeps at the forefront at lou. In fact, she was a pioneer of the explorative natural wine trend thatβs been steadily gaining popularity around town. Get to know this savvy FACE of Nashville!
Who or what inspired you to pursue a culinary career?
What childhood food memories impacted you most?
My mom would pack my lunches with nori and vegetables and grains. I did not grow up on fast food or a heavy meat-driven diet.
What led you to open lou?
It felt like an opportunity to add a European-influenced space to the Nashville dining scene β for a community who had either traveled abroad and craved that intimacy or for people who havenβt been fortunate enough to do so β and be able to offer them a taste of that experience.
Youβve been a trailblazer for the natural wine trend here in Nashville. What first drew you to natural wines?
The way they make you feel alive. Natural wines are farmed and processed in a way that allows the terroir from which the grapes come to really shine. They tend to lean with lower ABV (alcohol by volume). Instead of making you feel weighed down and heavy, the energy they give is free and inquisitive.
What separates natural wines them from the rest?
Thereβs nothing added and nothing removed.
What do you wish more people understood about them?
There is a bottle for everyoneβs taste; wine should never be intimidating, and you should order wine by the way you want to feel in the moment instead of by the grape [varietal] or producer.
What βfunkyβ and fun wine should we try if given the opportunity?
When people use the word βfunky,β itβs a placeholder for adjectives that can be much better articulated. For example: murky, earthy, yeasty, wild, cloudy β the list goes on. Not all natural wines taste unconventional. In fact, many are clean and dynamic, tasting of minerals or nuts or ripe fruits. If youβre looking for a wine that might feel more untamed and unique, I would suggest a French rose Pet-Nat (maybe with cab franc) or an Austrian grΓΌner veltliner that holds citrus notes along with peppery ginger and herbs.
If someone has never been into lou (or even if they have!), what ONE dish shouldnβt they leave without trying, and what wine would you pair with it?
Thatβs hard to answer, mainly because the menu changes nearly every month piece-by-piece, but we always have a large white bean dish as itβs so reminiscent of a Parisian wine bar. Although the setup changes often, a safe suggestion would be a French chardonnay because it is so harmonious.
Whatβs on the horizon for you personally?
Our operating partner and beverage director, Campbell Moore, and I are dying to turn our shed (which was the carport to our 1937βs home that lou resides in) into a non-fussy wine bar where there are a few seats inside a dark and damp space with a wrap-around bench outside to watch the sunset over the lawn. [We want] people sitting for hours with friends, enjoying affordable wines and small plates, and getting lost in conversation with themselves or the random guest they happen to be sitting next to.
What is the best piece of advice youβve ever received?
You donβt fail if you try.
Outside of faith, family, and friends, what three things canβt you live without?
Wine (lol), influence from travel and new cultures, as well as the freedom to explore.
LIGHTNING ROUND
Favorite comfort food in Nashville? A chicken biscuit from Loveless Cafe.
What book is on your bedside table? You Better Be Lightning by Andrea Gibson, a book of poetry.
Bucket list travel destination? Next, Portugal.
Whatβs your go-to gift to give, and where do you get it? Toiletry bags from Rue de Bretagne or spices from Γpices Shira.
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Jenna von Oy Bratcher
Jenna von Oy Bratcher is StyleBlueprint's Editorial Operations Manager and Lead Content Editor. The East Coast native moved to Nashville almost two decades ago, by way of Los Angeles. She is a lover of dogs, strong coffee, traveling, and exploring the local restaurant scene bite by bite.