Picking back up on our trip to Roan Mountain, when we got
back down to the campground from our visit to the rhododendron gardens atop
Roan Mountain, it was after seven and we decided not to go far for supper and
opted to give Smoky Mountain Bakers a try for their wood fired pizza. The bakery is in
a small building located behind the owners house where they do pizza’s and
other baked goods – it actually began more as a bakery then morphed into a bakery/pizzeria.
This a shot
of their sign down at the road.
Both pizzas
were outstanding and when we went back in to offer our compliments, the owner/ baker
was there and we got to chatting, as I often do – big surprise for those of you
who know me. While we were talking one
of the other bakery workers (his wife) offered that he was a famous baker and
pointed to a book on the table.
They cook the pizzas in
a small wood fired oven capable of two pies at a time and they were burning
hickory and cherry because that’s what the wood guy brought that week.
We checked
out the menus stapled to the walls and ordered two 12” pies, the first of which
was a “White” which had garlic and herb ricotta, basil pesto, spinach, sausage,
and caramelized onions. The second one
was a “Supreme” which was tomato sauce topped with pepperoni, sausage, ham, mushrooms,
onions, green peppers, black olives.
They have a
small indoor eating area and a few outdoor picnic tables, next to
the garden where they grow as much produce as possible for their baked goods.
It takes 3-4
minutes in the oven and the cooking is done by checking the crust bottom and
rotating as necessary and holding the pie near the oven ceiling a few times to
cook the top.
As it turned
out, his name is Tim Decker and he was a famous baker in Santa Rosa, California. When I asked him how he ended up in Roan
Mountain, TN, it turns out he was born there, moved to California at the age of
9, and after a successful and award winning baking career, decided to return to
his roots. I lost track of the number of
great’s, but one of his way-back grandfathers was the first white settler in
the area so his roots are very deep. Tim
and wife Crystal, an award winning pastry baker, enjoy the simpler life of
growing lots of produce for their pizzas, supplying a wide range of high quality
baked goods to their neighbors in a business staffed by the family, and giving
back to the community of his birth.
All I can
say is you must not be fooled by the easy to miss sign, or the building, or the
seating, or the menus, or the wood pile, as this has got to be one of the best
kept secrets in that part of the world and a definite visit again next time
we’re in the area – it may well be worth an 8 hour day trip just for lunch.
Not only
were the pizzas delicious, but so was the Danish we brought back to the RV for
dessert and the loaf of chipotle cheddar bread for sandwiches, which will be a
future post. While there, Bev ordered a
loaf each of chocolate/cherry and sourdough breads for pick up on Friday before
heading home and a couple of pizzas for supper that night.
They are
open Tue-Sat, 11am-8pm at 500 Cloudland Drive (same street as the high school),
Roan Mountain, TN, ph: 423-957-1202, email: smokymountainbakers@gmail.com,
Facebook: Smoky Mountain Bakers (for their daily baked goods and reserve if you
want anything).
All photos
can be enlarged by clicking on them.
Have a great
day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.
One year
ago: None
Two years
ago: Grilled Margherita Style Pizza
Larry
6/13/12 event date
6/13/12 event date
