Editorials

Miss Maudy’s “Something Different and Everything Good”

It’s no wonder folks start heading to Miss Maudy’s in Sweetwater, Tenn., more often than usual when the warm weather begins to stay around longer and the first spring flowers unfold. Not only does owner Jack Wilson have favorite soups and sandwiches just like he did in the winter, but he starts serving up everyone’s favorite homemade ice cream first signs of spring. That will keep you finding excuses to take a shopping break while you’re in Sweetwater.

Jack Wilson told me that he has been in the restaurant business for about 37 years and hasn’t figured out if he just loves it, or as Jack put it, “I don’t know how to do anything else!” When it comes to working, Jack got his feet wet pretty young. His parents opened Wilson’s BBQ in Sweetwater in the 1970s and after a number of years, one of their daughters took it over and ran it for about 13 years. It then transferred hands to another of Jack’s sisters and she worked it until it sold in 2007.

After Jack had worked in the BBQ business, he ran a confectionary (candy) shop in Pigeon Forge, Tenn. Now, you could say he was just sweetening his experience, because he moved back toward home and from 1996 to 2009, he owned and managed the Diary Barn in Athens, Tenn., where his ice cream, hamburgers and such were the best in the south if you ask people around McMinn County. So, it’s no surprise when local folks found out that Jack Wilson was the new owner of Miss Maudy’s in Sweetwater, they knew there was going to be good food and more than likely, something to sweeten the palate as well.

Sweetwater is known for thousands of visitors from many states traveling north and south along Highway 11 and I-75. It didn’t take long for word to get out that Miss Maudy’s has some fine food and homemade ice cream that’s out of this world. Just check out Miss Maudy’s on Yelp and some of the other social networks and you’ll find lots of great comments from new customers who experienced Miss Maudy’s.

Jack’s favorite part about owning and running a restaurant is meeting all the new people who come in, and finding out where they’ve been or from and where they’re heading. Jack always has a friendly smile and even those who are new to Sweetwater find a little comfort of home which brings them back to eat at Miss Maudy’s often.

Even for those of us who live 30 minutes or an hour from Sweetwater, it’s worth the drive to enjoy good food and that’s definately something Sweetwater has become well known for the last several years.

Some of the sandwiches that keeps everyone coming back is Jack’s Southwestern Chicken Panini and his Caprese Panini’s. There are numerous specialty salads, soups, and sandwiches, you’ll find yourself wanting to try them all. Jack said their signature one is their Bacon-Basil Tomato Sandwich which no one else makes. If you like peanut butter on your sandwich, Jack will fix you right up with a Fried Peanut Butter Sandwich. It has sliced bananas and sweet honey peanut butter on cinnamon toasted bread. That sounds like a good breakfast to me.

They have a wonderful chicken salad made with homemade mayonnaise. You can add a cup of their soup of the day, fresh tea and your all set till that sweet tooth starts nagging you – then you have to try one of their flavors of homemade ice cream. They will have seven or eight flavors each week, and they make a new batch of different flavors pretty often. If you stop in occasionally, you’ll be able to try several and find out which are your favorite.

Miss Maudy’s is located in the historic downtown Sweetwater business district, right next door to The Lily Pad Boutique. Jack Wilson and his staff invite you to stop in for lunch. They’re open Monday through Saturday 10-5 and their favorite slogan is – We are not “fast food”, but we strive to serve good food fast. They invite you to find out for yourself, that their food is “something different and everything good”! Be sure to like them on face book and to leave your comments and rating on Yelp or one of the other sites.

By Maxine Bean Jones, Ocoee, Tennessee