8 | LUXlife Magazine Best Premier Dining Destination 2026 – Knoxville & LUXlife Excellence Award for Specialty Cocktails 2026 – Knoxville Offering upscale dining in Downtown Knoxville, Fiori Bar & Kitchen is known as a premier local restaurant serving the finest food made using the freshest ingredients, as well as being renowned for an expansive cocktail menu spanning the classics – with its own twist. Decorated in black and gold and boasting a pink cherry tree in its center, Fiori stands for the type of elevated and memorable experience guests might expect in New York or LA, but with the unmistakable warmth of Tennessee. For more on this, we spoke with co-owner Jesse Vose. With a food menu specialising in Italian fusion cuisine and a cocktail menu that pairs perfectly with these dishes or stands alone in its own right, Fiori exists to be much more than just ‘dinner’ or another restaurant in Knoxville. Jesse explained: “When you walk into Fiori, you’re treated like family. My partner Corey and I have spent years building businesses, but this has been a dream we’ve worked towards for almost two decades. We built Fiori with intention – to be a place people come to celebrate, connect, and feel taken care of.” Guided by this ethos, Fiori has grown faster than Jesse and Corey could ever have imagined, not just in a business sense, but also in reputation. This has led to the core values they founded Fiori on – quality, consistency, great hospitality, and providing a special experience every time – becoming more deeply embedded in what they do every day. A big part of this is adapting to what customers want, be it refining the menu, expanding options for dietary requirements, or making simple tweaks to enhance booking and payment systems. The result is that excellence at Fiori isn’t something that the team necessarily ‘try’ to achieve, it is the expected standard every single day and built into how this upscale restaurant and cocktail bar in Knoxville operates. When it comes to the food, this is seen through scratch preparation and high-quality ingredients, as well as in flavour, presentation, and timing. The menu here is not huge, and this allows for every dish to be refined and perfected, from its appetisers right through to its desserts. A similarly encompassing mindset is employed when it comes to drinks, especially Fiori’s signature cocktail program. Jesse told us: “We make sure our bartenders are trained, AIS-Jan26255 our recipes are consistent, and every drink is balanced and built correctly. The smallest details matter – the glass, the garnish, the pour, the presentation – because those details are what make the experience feel truly elevated.” This is something made possible by the team here, and from Jesse and Corey to the more than 25 people employed at Fiori at any given time, everyone is united under this aim of being the best. For the effort they put in in upholding this standard, staff here are paid well above the local average, ensuring they live comfortably and feel valued. By making sure the team are happy, Jesse and Corey get the most out of them, and this is reflected in the unforgettable experience everyone who walks through Fiori’s doors is provided with every day. “At the end of the day, Fiori is only as strong as the people representing it. Our team bring the culture to life every single night, and that’s what keeps guests coming back – not just for the food and drinks, but for how we make them feel when they’re here.” On the back of this, Fiori has been on the receiving end of lots of recognition over the last few years, from being honoured with a speciality cocktail award from Cityview to featuring in the 2025 edition of our Restaurant and Bar Awards. This is an immense source of pride for the entire team here, as it shows that people are really picking up on what Fiori is putting down. 2026 is already seeing great things in the pipeline for Knoxville’s best upscale dining restaurant, which is aiming to continue going strong and elevating what it has built. From reinvesting back into the business by upgrading furniture and regularly refreshing the space to changing seasonal menu items and introducing new cocktail creations, everything the team here do is to make sure that Fiori Bar & Kitchen never feels stagnant. Guests should always want to come back and there should always be something new for them to enjoy, and by constantly delivering on this, this bar and restaurant in Knoxville has a great future ahead of it, something that it truly deserves. Contact: Jesse Vose Company: Fiori Bar & Kitchen Web Address: fioribar.com B A R & K I T C HE N F I OR I ITALIAN FUSION CUISINE • SIGNATURE COCKTAILS Fiori Bar & Kitchen
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