A meaningful new chapter began yesterday on Jackson Avenue as community members, project partners, local officials, and supporters gathered to celebrate the ribbon cutting of Jackie’s Dream at Covenant Health Park.
The event marked the official opening of the beloved Knoxville soul food restaurant’s next chapter and brought with it a spirit of pride, excitement, and genuine community connection. Joined by Knoxville and Knox County officials, proprietor Jackie Griffin, Knoxville Smokies owner Randy Boyd, and many others who helped make the project possible, the ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrated more than the completion of a restaurant space. It celebrated perseverance, local entrepreneurship, and the continued growth of a place designed to bring people together.
As Jackie shared during the event, “This is more than a dream. This is more than I ever dreamed of!”
For Denark, the opening of Jackie’s Dream carries added meaning because our connection to Covenant Health Park began well before this tenant build-out. Denark served as Construction Manager At-Risk for Covenant Health Park, helping deliver the stadium that now serves as a major destination for sports, entertainment, local business, and community gathering in downtown Knoxville.
A Beloved Knoxville Restaurant Begins a New Chapter
Jackie’s Dream has served the Knoxville community for more than a decade, first on McCalla Avenue in East Knoxville and later on Woodland Avenue in North Knoxville. Known for its soul food, hospitality, and unmistakable local character, the restaurant has built a loyal following around comfort food favorites like fried chicken, meatloaf, pork chops, collard greens, fried green tomatoes, and more.
Now located in a 2,000-square-foot space on the east side of Covenant Health Park, Jackie’s Dream brings that same warmth and flavor to one of Knoxville’s most visible new community destinations. The restaurant includes 69 indoor seats, additional patio seating depending on the weather, and a location just two doors down from the Knoxville Smokies team merchandise store.
Importantly, Jackie’s Dream will be open even when there are no activities at Covenant Health Park, making it a year-round dining destination for residents, visitors, families, fans, and anyone looking for a meal that feels like home.
Denark’s Role in Bringing the Space to Life
For Denark Construction, being part of Jackie’s Dream at Covenant Health Park has been especially meaningful. After serving as Construction Manager At-Risk for Covenant Health Park, our team had the opportunity to return to the venue and complete a tenant build-out for one of Knoxville’s most beloved local restaurants.
This project was about more than creating a restaurant space. It was about supporting a local business, strengthening the stadium district, and helping give Jackie Griffin the tools to take her restaurant into an exciting new chapter.
Located inside the new Smokies Stadium in downtown Knoxville, Jackie’s Dream began as a space that required significant transformation. Starting three feet below finish grade, construction crews brought the floor up to sidewalk height and installed a new polished concrete floor, creating a strong foundation for the restaurant’s next phase.
Behind the scenes, the back-of-house space was built out with a complete commercial kitchen, including new ovens, coolers, fryers, stovetops, and the cleaning equipment needed to operate the restaurant from day one. In the front-of-house dining area, Denark helped bring Jackie’s vision to life through feature lattice timber ceiling grids above a custom bar, wood paneling, custom furniture booths, and details that reflect Jackie’s signature red.
The new custom bar also represents something new for Jackie’s Dream, as alcoholic beverages were not available at the original location. Together, these features create a space that feels both fresh and familiar: a restaurant designed to welcome longtime customers, new visitors, Smokies fans, and the broader Knoxville community.
As with every successful project, collaboration was essential. Working alongside ownership, design partners, trade partners, and the broader Covenant Health Park team, Denark helped deliver a space that reflects Jackie’s vision while supporting the continued momentum of East Knoxville, downtown Knoxville, and the stadium district.
For our team, projects like this are a reminder of why construction matters. The work is not only about schedules, materials, and completion dates. It is about the people who will gather in these spaces long after the work is done.
“Seeing Jackie’s Dream open its doors is a proud moment for all of us,” said Frank Rothermel, CEO & President of Denark Construction. “It’s more than a building—it’s a place where hope and opportunity will grow.”
Building Within an Active Stadium Environment
Exterior of Jackie’s Dream at Covenant Health Park in downtown Knoxville, showing the new restaurant entrance along Jackson Avenue built out by Denark Construction.
The project also came with a unique set of construction and logistical challenges. The space was not originally intended to operate as a restaurant, which meant Denark’s team had to retrofit it for full food-service use while working within an existing, fully operational multi-use stadium.
Throughout construction, Covenant Health Park continued hosting baseball games, other sporting events, and public gatherings. That required careful planning and constant coordination around facility operations, event schedules, security requirements, and the thousands of attendees regularly moving through the venue.
Installing the kitchen systems was especially complex. Kitchen equipment, ductwork, plumbing, and supporting infrastructure had to be coordinated through structural cross bracing and around existing HVAC, plumbing, electrical, and fire protection systems. This level of retrofit work required detailed planning between Denark, our trusted subcontractors at Comfort Systems, and the Covenant Health Park team.
Rooftop equipment deliveries also had to be carefully timed to avoid disrupting the stadium’s ongoing event schedule. While rooftop access was available, it was only reachable through the main club-level event space, which meant work had to take place during specific windows. In addition, carefully coordinated restroom shutdowns were required so new ductwork and venting could be installed in a neighboring mechanical chase.
Access and logistics were also tightly constrained. With limited entry available by a one-lane road in each direction, minimal laydown and staging space, and controlled site access requirements, material deliveries and equipment movement had to be carefully planned. Much of the work relied on just-in-time deliveries to avoid congestion, maintain safe access, and keep stadium activities operating without interruption.
None of this would have been possible without constant, clear communication between all parties involved. Working alongside ownership, design partners, trade partners, stadium operations personnel, and the broader Covenant Health Park team, Denark helped deliver a completed restaurant space that feels seamless within the stadium, even though the work behind the scenes required significant coordination.
Creating Spaces That Strengthen Community
The opening of Jackie’s Dream at Covenant Health Park represents another important step in the growth of Knoxville’s stadium district. But its significance reaches beyond the project itself.
Restaurants like Jackie’s Dream help shape the character of a community. They give people a place to meet, share meals, celebrate traditions, and feel connected. They support local ownership, create jobs, welcome visitors, and preserve the kind of authentic Knoxville experience that cannot be replicated.
“This project reflects what we value most: building spaces that bring people together,” said Mohamed Abbas, Vice President of Special Projects.
That sense of connection was evident throughout the ribbon-cutting ceremony. There was excitement for the restaurant’s opening, appreciation for Jackie Griffin’s journey, and a shared understanding that Jackie’s Dream is more than a new dining option at Covenant Health Park. It is a place rooted in hospitality, resilience, and community pride.
A Project with Purpose
For many members of the Denark team, Jackie’s Dream was the kind of project that stays with you. It combined technical coordination with a clear sense of purpose: helping bring a local vision to life in a space that will serve people for years to come.
“Working on Jackie’s Dream reminded me why I love what I do—helping create something that will make a difference for years to come,” said Rachel Williams, Project Manager.
As the restaurant opens to the public, Denark is proud to have played a role in this milestone for Jackie Griffin, Covenant Health Park, and the Knoxville community.
We extend our sincere thanks to Jackie Griffin and her team, the Knoxville Smokies, Covenant Health Park leadership, project partners, trade partners, local officials, and everyone who helped make this project a success.
Most of all, we congratulate Jackie and her team on this exciting new chapter. Jackie’s Dream has always been about more than food. It is about welcome, connection, and heart—and we hope this new space gives Jackie exactly what she needs to continue growing her business, serving her customers, and sharing her dream with Knoxville for years to come.