This Food-Filled Road Trip Celebrates East Tennessee’s Appalachian Culture

This story is part of a package celebrating the food and culture of Appalachia. We asked each contributor to build a road trip itinerary sharing the best ways to get to know Appalachian food, culture, and history as they see it today. James Beard–nominated chef Cassidee Dabney fell in love with Appalachia when she moved to Maryville 12 years ago. Here, she shares her itinerary for a dream road trip through east Tennessee. 

When I was growing up, my dad worked for the government as a wildlife biologist, so we would move all over the country, from national forest to national forest. When I relocated to eastern Tennessee over a decade ago to cook at Blackberry Farm (1471 W Millers Cove Rd, Walland), I immediately connected to the land and to a side of Appalachia I didn’t really know before.

A lot of restaurants I love are in Knoxville, a great little food city about 30 miles north of Blackberry Farm, where a few of my former coworkers have opened up their own amazing places. For a neighborhood-y dinner, start off with A Dopo (516 Williams St, Knoxville)—a pizzeria with a killer spicy greens pie, the best pistachio gelato, and an ever-changing wine list. 

The next morning, pop into Potchke (318 N Gay St, Suite 103, Knoxville), a lively, modern Jewish delicatessen. You’re going to want to get the rip ’n’ dip (a bialy and spreads like a Georgian walnut-bean dip, inspired by lobio, a classic stew in the Caucasus, or labneh with poppy seed crumble), the classic chocolate babka, and the borscht.

About 10 minutes west, you’ll find Sticky Rice Cafe (120 Jack Dance St, Knoxville). There’s a significant Laotian community in eastern Tennessee and western North Carolina, and it’s cool to see family-run restaurants like this one flourishing. I’m celiac, and they offer a bunch of excellent gluten-free options. I’m a sucker for the spicy chicken laab and the kow pek (a warming rice noodle soup). The staff is so inviting, and since this is located in a strip mall, there’s usually plenty of parking. 

From there I’d head four miles southwest to Maryville (my home base). Horn of Plenty (924 W Broadway Ave, Maryville) is a precious—I mean, we are talking adorable—farm market and nursery. It’s the hyper seasonality that’s so special. For example, in the fall, they’ll have every kind of apple, plus sweet potatoes, gourds, fresh-baked bread and pastries, plants and seeds. They carry the very best milk and cheese, from Cruze Farm and Sweetwater Valley. I love how everything you get there, you know you’re supporting somebody local.

My favorite hike in the Smokies, Indian Flats Falls (Middle Prong Trail, Gatlinburg), is a short drive away. The eight-mile trail follows a wide logging railroad bed that leads to a secret waterfall. It’s never too crowded, and you’ll find things like old cars and homesteads and interesting little artifacts along the way.

Head back through Maryville for the Cubano with rice and beans and a side of the guava empanadas at Aroma Café (2570 E Broadway Ave). It’s a colorful building between a roofing place and a gas station with bright decor and lively music. The food is just so delicious.  

I’d end the day at Blackberry Farm Brewery (106 Everett Ave, Maryville). Inside you’ll find long picnic tables, a few high-tops, and a grab-and-go area for quick pickup. If you stick around, there are lots of local beers and either a hard kombucha or a local cider on tap. Snack on the sweet tea-brined chicken fingers; they have the perfect balance of sweet salinity and crunchy peppery crust and come with Cruze Farm buttermilk ranch dressing. Then walk down the street for gorgeous home ceramics at McQueen Pottery (934 E Broadway Ave, Maryville), a woman-owned studio that’s a great support system for local artists.