America's Next Top Model winner Whitney Thompson plans Springfield restaurant

America's Next Top Model winner Whitney Thompson is planning to open a restaurant in downtown Springfield.

The first and only plus-size model to win the show in 2008, Thompson, 26, is engaged and plans to marry in Scotland in the fall, but not before taking up a residency in Middle Tennessee and opening a restaurant on Main Street in Springfield.

"I'm not giving up modeling," Thompson said. "I'm satisfied with what I've accomplished so far. I just don't want to be a mom with kids going on castings. That's not for me."

Thompson and fiancé Ian Forrester, who is a chef in downtown Nashville, plan to open Whitney Lee's restaurant in the former Tricia's On The Square location directly across from the Robertson County Courthouse.

Thompson, who said she met Forrester in Florida riding the school bus in high school, is making arrangements to lease the business space and hopes to have the restaurant open for business in about a month.

"We're going to be open for breakfast, lunch and dinner," Thompson said. "We will offer upscale dining, opening at 6 a.m. and remain open until people stop coming in, basically. We want to be there for people in that area, the historical district."

Thompson said the menu will offer all foods from the United States, with an emphasis of products made in Tennessee as much as possible.

"We want local produce and will constantly change up our menu," Thompson said. "Everything we make is from scratch. Nothing is frozen or pre-packaged. We want to take advantage of our location and serve fresh tomatoes, corn and lettuce, but also meats and alcohol."

Thompson, who is the daughter of Springfield Police Chief David Thompson, said entering into the business partnership with future husband Ian is a dream both have had for some time.

"When you are passionate about what you do, and you really love it, it's not a job," Thompson said. "This is exciting to us. It's exciting to me to make a beautiful cake that tastes incredible. It's exciting to him to make a gorgeous dish that people love. That makes us happy."

Forrester attended culinary school and is a trained chef, according to Thompson.

"He makes sauces and bakery items and he's an incredible cook," Thompson said. "There's nothing ordinary about what Ian can put on a plate. He makes beautiful dishes because he's also an artist. He's painted all over the world."

The couple plans to offer dinner dishes ranging in price from $10 to $30. Weekend champagne brunches are also in the plans and kids menus offering one of Thompson's favorite baked items: cupcakes.

"Our kids menu will have cupcakes for the kids to decorate themselves," Thompson said. "I dream about cupcakes. I love baking."

Thompson, who said she's enjoyed cooking and baking all over the world, has been perfecting a special cupcake of her own that she hopes will take off at Whitney Lee's.

"It's a chicken and waffle cupcake that has a Belgian waffle base that we cored out and put in a piece of my homemade fried chicken," Thompson said. "Then, I frost it with maple butter frosting, with bacon sprinkles for the top."

Healthier items will also be made available, according to Thompson.

"We really love it here," Thompson said. "It's beautiful, the people are friendly. People wave when you go by. Everyone talks to everyone. We like that it's close to Nashville, but it's not too close. There's a lot of room in Tennessee, with Springfield for us in particular, for us to grow."

Alcohol restrictions

One hurdle the owners of Whitney Lee's will face is complying with the beer ordinance in Springfield.

Last June, the city's Board of Mayor and Aldermen agreed to create a downtown overlay to an ordinance that had previously restricted beer sales on the city's downtown square.

The overlay requires a 100 foot minimum distance from restaurant sales of beer and the historic district's churches, school and parks in and around the square. In all other parts of the city, a minimum distance of 300 feet remains intact.

Springfield Codes Administrator Mark Fields said he measured the restaurant's location to the Hispanic church building two doors down.

"It's way too close," Fields said.

City Recorder Jane Murphy said Thompson has not applied for a beer permit for the business and until she receives that permit, she would not be able to sell beer.

"If the restaurant is not the distance called out in the ordinance, then we cannot issue a beer permit," Murphy said.

Thompson said she plans to work with the Springfield ordinances to make her restaurant appealing to customers.

"Hopefully, it will be a great place to come have a glass of wine," Thompson said. "It's not like we're opening a Hooters or a sports bar. We're not trying to attract drunk people. We're looking for a nice place, where you can go out and not have to drive to Nashville."

Main Street resident and business owner Keith Woodall said he's concerned about the alcohol that will be made available at a business located so close to the building he owns, which houses his home, a Christian bookstore and the Hispanic church's meeting place.

"When it comes down to it, I'm trying to protect my family," Woodall said. "Why does alcohol have to be everywhere? I'm intending to stay here the rest of my life. This is not the answer to economic problems in downtown Springfield. Alcohol is not the right answer to anything."

Menu available at:

Whitneylees.com