Page 12 - October 2021 Issue

brewery offerings, and enjoyed the ride up and down the mountains.
We all made a couple day trips to Nashville and visited the Country Music Hall of Fame. The memories of the people and music we grew up on made this trip perfect. We toured downtown and stopped at the world-famous Tootsie’s Or- chid Lounge. The old pictures on the walls tell the storied history of downtown Nashville and the live music was fun to listen to. We all enjoyed some cold refreshments and en- tertainment and strolled up and down the main street, and really enjoyed our day. We ate at Paula Deen’s, which is al- ways a good stop, and we also hit the Grand Ole Opry. The Opry is a first-class stop, and an old comedian named Gary Mule Deer brought back old memories and made me laugh so hard it was truly a highlight of the trip!
We left Nashville and headed to Chattanooga, and stopped at the Lodge Cast Iron Store. This is a great stop to pick up some cast iron for your cooking collection, and they offer all kinds of items to make cooks happy. From here, we went to Ruby Falls and enjoyed a trip down into the caves, and the waterfalls are a must-see stop on your Tennessee trip. The story behind this whole area is a piece of history that everyone would love to see. Next trip, we will tour Lookout Mountain and Rock City and more of what Chattanooga has to offer.
Our next stop on the way home took us to a mountain gem called the Cookie Jar Café in Dunlap, Tennessee. You can see the blue roof from the highway, but you have to find your way there on a few back roads. This is a family-run café that features cakes and pies and maybe the best cup- cakes I ever had. The young ladies working at the Restau- rant were charming and very professional. The café got its name from its collection of cookie jars which is quite the collection. I guarantee you can walk around the inside of the building and see cookie jars your grandparents had when you were a kid. The food was perfect downhome cooking, and you will be glad you made the trip to this nice little café!
We made our way home, and before we wrapped up our va- cation, we made a trip to the Foglight Foodhouse in Walling, Tennessee. The Restaurant has a patio overlooking the water, and the place has a comfortable downhome feel. They offer a Creole-style menu, and the food was fantastic. Definitely a five-star stop for food and atmospheres!
If you can stop at any of these venues, you will be glad you did. We are back home and ready to get back to cooking and feeding people. Feed folks BBQ; it makes them happy!
Dand “Big Papa” Hillis
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OCTOBER 2021
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