Blue Ridge Country March/April 2022 - 62

FLAVORS
FINDING FLAVOR IN
NORTHWEST GEORGIA
Biscuits, Brownies
and Broccoli Casserole
COURTESY OF THE NATIVE KITCHEN
Up mountainsides and into old mills, we visit some of the region's best-loved eateries.
By FRED & JILL SAUCEMAN
" I
cannot tell you how many people come in with
tears in their eyes because they can eat anything on
our menu, " says Cassie Coker, who owns The Native
Kitchen in Dalton, Georgia, with her husband
Dustin. While The Native Kitchen is forward-looking
in its approach to food, it is rooted in the past.
Dating to 1884, the now refurbished brick building
housed a cotton mill. By 1910, Crown Cotton Mill employed
some 650 people. The site is listed on the West
Georgia Textile Heritage Trail.
Within that 19th-century setting, known now as The
Mill at Crown Garden, The Native Kitchen operates as
a gluten-free restaurant. But it didn't start out that way.
Two factors led to the conversion of the menu. First, the
Cokers' oldest son, now four, was diagnosed with celiac
disease. And then, an employee, who was pregnant at the
time, began experiencing rashes from head to toe, traced
to her breathing wheat in the air.
Although the Cokers can craft a biscuit akin to the traditional
buttermilk variety, their standard biscuit, which
doubles as a bun, is made with almond flour. Gluten-free
toast is on the menu, and for dessert, sweet potato brownies
and pecan pie bars. Cassie says customers cannot tell
that they're gluten-free.
" Even our muffins, you can't tell, " Cassie says. " All of
our pastries are not only gluten-free but also vegan, with
no eggs or butter. "
62 BLUERIDGECOUNTRY.COM
Another restaurant trademark is a plate of " Y'All Nachos, "
with house-made potato chips fried in peanut oil
and loaded with vegetarian chili. Customers can add a
meat of choice, such as shredded chicken or locally
sourced ground beef, or eggs and bacon for a breakfaststyle
nacho plate. House-made guacamole, jalapeños, and
cashew-nacho cheese sauce complete the dish.
Cassie and Dustin knew they had found the right
location for their restaurant when they learned that
Cassie's grandmother, Janie Cochran, had once been a
millworker in that very building. Says Cassie: " When she
came to visit our restaurant for the first time, shortly
after we opened in 2018, she remembered very clearly
where she worked. "
The Native Kitchen, Dalton, Georgia
706-529-8129; nativekitchendalton.com
Canyon Grill
On the " backside " of Lookout Mountain, in the community
of Rising Fawn, Georgia, Canyon Grill has been
attracting diners to its relatively remote location since
1996. Lawton Haygood, a Lookout Mountain native, and
his wife Karen, the original owners, named the restaurant
after nearby Cloudland Canyon State Park. In 2014,
Johnny and Jessica Holland, who had trained and worked
with the Haygoods, took over the business, and fittingly
so. The Hollands say continuity in the kitchen and din
http://www.nativekitchendalton.com http://www.BLUERIDGECOUNTRY.COM
Blue Ridge Country March/April 2022

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