Episode 3912

- [Announcer] "Tennessee Crossroads" is brought to you in part by

- [Narrator] Some of our biggest checks have also made the biggest difference. The Tennessee Lottery, proud to have raised more than $7.5 billion for education. Now that's some game changing, life changing fun.

- [Announcer] Discover Tennessee Trails and Byways where adventure, cuisine and history come together. With 16 scenic driving trails, you can discover why Tennessee sounds perfect. Trips can be planned at TNTrailsAndByways.com.

- [Announcer] The co-op system in Tennessee consists of independently owned co-ops, driven to serve farmer owners, rural lifestyle customers, and their communities throughout Tennessee and in five neighboring states. More at ourcoop.com.

- [Announcer] Middle Tennessee State University College of Liberal Arts helps students explore the world, engage minds, enrich lives, and earn a living. More at mtsu.edu/cla.

- This week, we'll sample baked delicacies in Cool Springs, hunt for ghosts at the Hermitage, visit an Amish depot, and eat what could be considered a healthy breakfast, though probably not. I'm Ketch Secor, welcoming you to "Tennessee Crossroads." We love uncovering tasty treats across our state, and even more when those treats are good for you. Whether you're looking for gluten-free, vegan, or keto friendly foods, Laura Faber found a place in the heart of Cool Springs that creates and serves scratch baked goods that are not traditional, and I mean that in a good way.

- [Laura] Tucked away in a little storefront and kitchen in the Cool Springs area of Franklin, you'll find Karina De Almeida rolling out the dough for the thing that made her food famous: the Chetzel.

- [Karina] It is a grain-free pretzel, and it's made out cheese and yuca,

- [Laura] But that's not all Karina creates.

- [Karina] You're gonna to get food that is made totally from scratch with as many organic ingredients as I can find and afford. You're gonna find food that is really made with a lot of work. Every little treat, I spend a good amount of time creating to come up with it, so it's not cookie cutter made. It's not from any recipe book.

- [Laura] It's special.

- I come up with the recipes. I improve recipes. I do, you know, that's, it's all very dedicated.

- [Laura] Karina spends as much time talking and educating customers as she does creating her culinary masterpieces.

- We have 37 flavors, so we rotate them.

- Okay.

- They are quite an experience. They're made outta cheese and yuca. We have cheddar, the Mediterranean with all sheep and goat cheeses.

- [Laura] Chetzel's Bakehouse is the result of a global and personal life journey for Karina and her two sons. Born in Ecuador, Karina has lived and been educated around the world in subjects like international relations and counter-terrorism, but she has always loved food.

- [Karina] I always cooked in the background just so everybody knows. Apparently I had a knack for it, food.

- [Laura] Her foodie passion led to formal training at the French Culinary Institute in New York City. But when her sons developed serious food allergies to everything, Karina learned how to cook for them.

- I had to make my first cake for his birthday, his one year, without eggs and without dairy. So I was like, this is 20 years ago, right? I was like, what? And I started figuring out how to make them cakes, muffins, things that Americans enjoy because after all, they are in the USA. So they had to enjoy the food that other kids did. I didn't want 'em to feel different.

- [Laura] Not only did her boys love her food, others did too.

- I was at my first farmer's market in 2014, and the first day I sold out again, and that was the the year I launched Chetzel's, my signature pretzel. Everybody loved them.

- [Laura] As a single mom, the road was not easy, but Karina grew a following at farmer's markets in Connecticut, originally called Tasty Good Eats and winning award after award.

- I just happen to have a little gift, I think, to do it. I don't know how, it just happens.

- [Laura] Eventually, her little family moved to Franklin and started over from ground zero.

- Nobody knows me, nobody knows my food. I had to knock on doors to be able to get into farmer's market.

- [Laura] Not all of Karina's customers have food allergies, but it turns out lots of people are looking for healthier food choices.

- [Karina] I make it healthier with basic ingredients, no chemicals, nothing fake.

- [Laura] Chetzel's Bakehouse is all gluten free all the time, no flour, rather plantains. And the menu changes daily.

- [Laura] I saw pigs in a blanket, and I said, nobody can have pigs in a blanket gluten free, so I'm gonna make them like I do. And they were a big hit. Once we hit in Tennessee, my son came up with a name, and he goes, "Mom, what if we call them piggy wiggys?" And I'm like, yes, that's it, Piggy Wiggys. So they have become very popular. People always chuckle at the name, two of the piggy wiggys. Would you like cheddar or cheddar jalapeno?

- The piggy wiggys sell out daily, as do the empanaditas. Those are mini half moon patties filled with things like Jamaican jerk chicken and homemade chili marmalade, taquito friendly mushroom. Her cheesy bites are addictive too, all two dozen versions. Karina's pizzas are amazing. This features arugula, Parmesan, and prosciutto. Same with her full size empanadas, this one with Portuguese chorizo egg and cheese. Then there are the take home meals, sweet and savory pastries, muffins, cookies, juices, and coffee too. Here's the secret. You can get a special coffee drink that was made by Karina herself that only customers who are in the know, know about. But Karina's giving me permission to share this with you. What is this drink, Karina? It's a shot of espresso with milk, a little cardamon.

- [Laura] And you call it?

- Delicioso.

- [Laura] For delicious.

- Mm hmm.

- Okay, go ahead and make it. Oh my gosh. An overnight success? Nope, this has been years and years of work for Karina, always listening to her customers which inspire her recipes. But once in a while, she allows herself to be proud of what she's built.

- Sometimes when I'm alone here at two in the morning, and I have to turn off the lights, I'm like, oh my God, I'm here. A lot of people also saying to me, I don't want it so sweet. I don't want it with all those things. Thank you for trying to make it healthier. And I have strived to do that every year. How do I make this simplest, basic, healthier way? I'm never gonna stop you from getting more.

- Well, it's that time of year again. It seems everywhere you turn, there is something Halloween related around every corner. Time to grab your pumpkin spice latte and take a ghost tour at the Hermitage as Miranda Cohen is sure to do. That girl loves her coffee.

- Well, we are inside the parlors of the Hermitage Mansion, and we're going to talk about our Ghost Tour program, which is a perennial favorite here at the Hermitage.

- [Miranda] Keith Hardison is the Director of Interpretations at the Hermitage, the home of General Andrew Jackson. In fact, history tells us Jackson loved his stately home so much, he didn't really want to leave and go to the White House when he was elected as the seventh president back in 1828.

- This is as close as you can get to time travel, experience another world, experience stories that are heroic and tragic, often combined in the same people.

- [Miranda] And the not so forgotten tragic tales of the Jackson family are what keep the faithful coming back, especially at this time of the year.

- That even if you've, I've done ghost tours, not really, because these are new additions, some old favorites and some things that even we didn't know but through research have discovered

- [Miranda] The Jacksons were no strangers to hardship, sorrow, death, and great loss. And many say this house remembers it all.

- We have documentation for where these stories come from. And so they are rooted in factual information. And there's still some things that have come to light that shall we say have yet to be explained.

- [Miranda] Like the well-documented story of two members of the Ladies' Hermitage Society who spent a not so peaceful night at the Hermitage way back in 1893. So Mr. Hardison, we are in the front parlor. So these are the exact rooms where the ladies were when they heard all of the commotion?

- Yes, right here. They had camped out, had a small table, a lantern, chairs and a mattress. So all was quiet until at midnight there arose such a clatter. There was the sound as if Jackson on horseback was leading his entire army through the entry hall. And they rushed through that door to find out what was going on only to have the sound stop and to see nothing

- Whether tricks of the spirit or tricks of the mind, this is just one of the many historical and haunted stories you can hear on the hour and a half walking tour. You will start at the welcome center, be guided by lantern through the gardens, and then get a very rare glimpse of the candlelit mansion after dark. When you visit the Hermitage during the day, it is interesting, educational and quite an experience, but when you visit it at night, it is something entirely different. That is when the legends of the duel partners, the haunted love affair, the mysterious illnesses and sudden deaths all come to life. And trust us, it is an entirely different experience.

- If you've never been to the Hermitage at night, that in and of itself without the stories is a totally different vibe. It's a very special experience. But with those stories, it is an unforgettable combination that you don't wanna miss.

- [Miranda] And fittingly, the final stop is the final resting place of Andrew Jackson and his beloved wife, Rachel. And some say you might just catch a glimpse of the general making his nightly rounds.

- Rachel died in December of 1828, right after he had been notified that he'd won the presidency. Jackson, there was not a cemetery here at that point. So Jackson buries her in her favorite place at the Plantation, which is her garden. And when Jackson came home from the White House, as long as he physically was able, he would make the short walk out here and talk to her for a while, talking about how he loved her and telling what had been going on in his day and so forth. His slab is very plain that it's only General Andrew Jackson, the date of his birth, date of his death. There is no epitaph because his name speaks for itself.

- [Miranda] So if you're a history buff or just enjoy the unexplained, join in the Ghost tours, the tragedy and mystery of the Hermitage from mid-September until the end of October.

- [Keith] History doesn't make people, people make history. And we like, we see ourselves in history, but we also see the adventures, the sacrifices, the achievements, the sadness and tragedy. And it's in a sense, a reflection of us.

- It boggles the mind when you think about how much our world has changed in the last few decades. Nowadays, you can get just about anything you want delivered to your front door while not so long ago, especially out in the country, you considered yourself lucky to have a general store nearby for essentials. Well, Gretchen Bates discovered just such a place down in Ethridge, Tennessee.

- [Anna] We're kind of a curiosity shop. We have a lot of those pieces that maybe their grandparents might have had in their homes. I mean, it just kind of triggers that memory. It's a very comfortable feeling.

- [Gretchen] A comfortable feeling, that perfectly describes the sensation upon entering Ike's Amish Depot. Stepping back to a simpler time when this was an isolated country farmhouse, and the home of Anna Goulsby's grandparents,

- My grandparents, they moved here in the late 30s back before we had the highway, and we had all of these other stores, people would stop by for water and supplies on their way to wherever they were going, and they said, why not just make it a storefront? And so my grandfather got together with his wife's brothers, put a storefront on the building, kind of finished it out, got some stock for it, and they turned it into like a general store. And that was about 1942 whenever that happened, and whenever my father inherited it, after he came back from the Vietnam War, he decided to kind of reinvigorate that feeling.

- [Gretchen] Anna's father turned it into a museum of sorts, a testament to life in the 30s and 40s.

- [Anna] One thing you'll notice is of course all the signage. My dad, he collects signs, and he thinks that it's a perfect representation of what was important at the time, what people were marketing, what people really like looked for. And so we have a lot of beautiful signage. One thing to note is that everything in the store is either the 1950s or older. So nothing in here is after 1950. And we actually still have our 48 star flag up there as kind of a memento from that early time when it first started as a store.

- [Gretchen] If the memorabilia isn't enough to tempt you, how about another popular period piece, the soda fountain?

- [Anna] This is actually a 1930s soda pop station. So everything in here still functions like it used to. Same kind of ice cream you would've had back then. You can either get a scoop of it or you can make it into a root beer float or have a nice little milkshake.

- I like the milkshakes. I like, I get ice cream cones a lot, mostly chocolate.

- And you said chocolate, right?

- [Gretchen] Yes, ma'am. Chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, heck, I'll have one of everything. But the depot can do more than satisfy your sweet tooth. They have real stick to your ribs food. You probably shouldn't ask for a salad.

- I like to come here and get a fried bologna sandwich or a hamburger.

- [Gretchen] Fried bologna, now you're talking.

- So all of the food that we serve here, just like all of the antiques that we have, just like all of the services we offer, it's like, again, you're back in the 1940s. We have burgers and chips and things like that. Just simple food that'll fill you up and get you ready to go on your way.

- [Gretchen] On your way to explore places of interest and people of interest. I mean, there's a reason it's called Ike's Amish Depot.

- [Anna] A lot of our customers come just to enjoy the Amish community. You can visit their homes, you can see them make the bread, you can go to their fruit stands and talk with them and learn more about their lifestyle. It's just interesting to have that. It shows that special part of Lawrence County. You know, we have these people here that are, that do have that lifestyle that represents what Lawrence County used to be. You know, we didn't used to have electricity. We didn't, we used to go a lot slower. And we didn't have our fast cars, we didn't have a highway. And people like that do get left behind as we modernize. And it's important for us to make sure we have resources in place for these people.

- The Depot has a history of serving the local Amish community, not burgers and shakes, but transportation. You see, the Amish won't fly by plane, but they will go Greyhound.

- [Anna] Amish, they're limited in their mobility. They can't drive, they can't use planes, anything like that. And so the Greyhound bus station was a very necessary part of their life. And so my dad carries on the tradition of making sure that they have transportation. And so it's an acting bus station for the Amish in our community.

- [Gretchen] Since the Amish don't own modern forms of transportation, the Depot kindly offers an old fashioned parking garage.

- We're the only Greyhound bus station that has a livery stable. Where would they keep their horse and buggy while they're away? Well, they park them, park them out in our livery stable. And of course, like local people will care for them. You know, their family and such will care for them. Make sure that the horses are taken care of. And of course we monitor them as well. It's something that we do for them so that they feel comfortable and safe, so that they can go and visit their family or, you know, anything like that.

- Every Saturday my nana gets us, and she brings us here to get lunch sometimes. And then usually we'll go outside and look at all the cars pass by and sit on the bench and talk to everyone.

- You'd just have a screen up, nothing.

- [Gretchen] Simpler times, simple pleasures. Neighbor helping neighbor. That's the comfortable feeling you get at the depot.

- The main reason that it was open was to support the community, and that's still the main focus of this store today is to support the community we care so much about and to support the state that we love so much. And so, not only can you come by here and get a fun little tchotchke for your friends, you can buy something that was manufactured just down the road. We carry things that were built and manufactured here in Tennessee, and it's a sense of pride for our family to not only be a part of just the Lawrenceburg community, but to be a part of the community of this state.

- No matter how you spend your day in the Smokies, you're gonna wanna start it with a good breakfast. Well, how about a place with historical ambiance and an unlimited array of breakfast delicacies. And though not required, pants with elastic waistbands might come in handy.

- If you're gonna compete for the tourist dollars in a town like Gatlinburg, you better have something special even for breakfast. That's why we decided to camp out for a while at Crockett's Breakfast Camp and see why folks say it's worth the wait. Before plunging too far into the sumptuous food fair, here's a little backstory. Crockett's Breakfast Camp is dedicated to the legacy of a 19th century Smoky Mountain Frontiersman, David Crockett Maples, an excellent cook and ancestor of the restaurant's founder Kirby Smith.

- This gentleman wanted to provide food for the loggers, and he built a little, nice little place over here and fed the loggers for a good price. And that was Kirby's idea was to build a nice looking place, give a generous amount of food at a good price and good quality.

- [Joe] That's John Sports, better known as Sporty who oversees the ever humming, hustling kitchen. Out in the dining room, the rustic atmosphere is a show in itself with reclaimed barn wood walls covered with artifacts that portray earlier mountain times. It's much like a Museum of Gatlinburg history. Oh, check this. All the doors use low tech counterweights and sandbags. Now just beyond the cozy fireplace, visitors can witness the making of the camp's ever popular Cinnamon rolls.

- [Sporty] The dough we make the day before. So when we bring it out in the morning, we let it proof, let it finish proofing and soften up. And then we'll roll, we'll get it on the table and we'll roll it out. And we'll get it to about a seven foot length to about three foot width and put some cinnamon, butter and brown sugar on it. And we roll it up, and we'll cut it in about four inch sections and get about 24 cinnamon rolls out of it. Put 'em in our pans, proof 'em in our box, and bake 'em. And hope we don't run out of 'em.

- [Joe] Well over 100 are consumed each morning at Crockett's, and more often than not, they're shared. But for the serious cinnamon roll aficionado, you can always take it a step further.

- [Sporty] We take the same cinnamon roll, and we dip it in our made from scratch french toast batter. And we put it on a flat top and press it down so it's not quite as thick as a normal one. And then we'll top it off with our caramel sauce that we make here and whipped cream and powdered sugar. And it's a pretty good treat for most people.

- [Joe] Pancakes are to Gatlinburg what lobsters are to Maine, but here it's like the pancakes are on steroids.

- [Sporty] They're probably about four times the size of a normal pancake. They're about an inch thick and about five inches in diameter. So, and they're, again, that's a pretty good size meal that we serve too.

- I have a cinnamon swirl pancake.

- [Joe] Are you gonna make it all the way?

- I am not going to make it all the way. It is very good though.

- [Joe] Gotta say, I never heard anyone complain about not getting enough food, but I also never heard much talk about lunch plans either.

- I think most people say that what you hear a lot is if eat breakfast at Crockett's, you won't have lunch. You know, you'll go, you'll be fed all day long.

- [Joe] So while there's lots of competition for dining dollars in a tourist town like Gatlinburg, word gets around when a place has got the absolute breakfast experience.

- And they all communicate what's going on, where they've been, if their experience is in Gatlinburg, they tell people what they like, what they don't like, what to do, kind of what to avoid. And I think Crockett's is one of the things on their list that they do to come to see besides the aquarium.

- It's awesome. Yeah, it's great, very good.

- [Joe] And it's creating that special experience that makes Sporty happy to come to work.

- It's beautiful. Who wouldn't wanna work at a place like this that's, people come to and see, and they're smiling and they're happy, and every time you put something in front of 'em, they're just, their eyes open up. Cinnamon rolls, the pancakes, the skillets, you know, they're like, wow.

- Thanks, Joe. It's no wonder they call it the most important meal of the day. Well, our website's pretty important too, so if you'd like to see more stories, check it out and download the PBS app if you haven't already. And be sure to tune in again next week. Thanks for watching.

- Hey, Crossroads fans. It's Morgan from The Ramblin' Bee out in Gallatin. I'm still blown away at the support of the Crossroads community. Y'all really show up. I still have customers comment on the segment, and I'm truly, truly grateful for the impact that Crossroads brought to my store and my local community.

- [Announcer] "Tennessee Crossroads" is brought to you in part by

- [Narrator] Students across Tennessee have benefited from over $7.5 billion dollars we've raised for education, providing more than two million scholarships and grants. The Tennessee Lottery, game changing, life changing fun.

- [Announcer] Discover Tennessee Trails and Byways where adventure, cuisine and history come together. With 16 scenic driving trails, you can discover why Tennessee sounds perfect. Trips can be planned at TNTrailsAndByways.com.

- [Announcer] The co-op system in Tennessee consists of independently owned co-ops, driven to serve farmer owners, rural lifestyle customers, and their communities throughout Tennessee and in five neighboring states. More at ourcoop.com.

- [Announcer] Middle Tennessee State University College of Liberal Arts helps students explore the world, engage minds, enrich lives, and earn a living. More at mtsu.edu/cla.