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CleverRootSpring2017

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s p r i n g 2 0 1 7 | 3 3 Lynne Tolley might not be a name you recognize, but you'll recognize her great-granduncle. "When I was younger, I never really thought much about being related to Jack Daniel," Tolley confessed. "Now it's my career!" Tolley was working at the distillery when the namesake owner of Lynchburg, Ten- nessee, institution Miss Mary Bobo's Boarding House Restaurant passed away. Lynne Tolley bought the restaurant and took over, serving the traditional two lunches a day in the large house built in the 1820s, family style at large tables with a hostess at each head. "In the middle of the day, at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., we ring the bell and serve supper. We serve two meats, six vegetables and homemade bread, and we fill the platters until everyone's full," Tolley adds. While the tables are often laden with seasonal fruit, vegetables from local farmers and hot cornbread, there's a certain brown liquor that's conspicuous- ly absent from guests' glasses. "Moore County, where Lynchburg is located, is a dry county," Tolley confesses. Despite being the home of the distillery, "Jack Daniel's isn't available at stores or restaurants in the county." However, that doesn't mean that the whiskey doesn't make its way (legally) into many of the dishes, most notably Miss Mary Bobo's renowned candied apples. Cut apples are mixed with butter, sugar, more butter and Jack Daniel's, then cooked until they're translucent and caramelized. The finishing touch is whipped cream mixed with more Jack and sugar. "It's a very popular dish," Tolley says. "December is the busiest month of the year, and for our holiday meals, we make 'tipsy' sweet potatoes with Jack Daniel's, mashed with butter and brown sugar, then topped with marshmal- lows and pecans." Tolley, with the help of her friend Mindy Merrell, has published four cookbooks for Jack Daniel's, and although she's mainly retired, Tolley says that Miss Mary Bobo's will always be close to her heart. PHOTO: JASON MYERS PHOTO: JASON MYERS PHOTO: JASON MYERS Whether it's modern fare like pork belly or a nod to traditional Southern dishes like candied apples, Jack Daniel's has a place in any kind of American cuisine. Chef Huntzinger says it best when he notes, "Cooking American cuisine is great, because America is such a melting pot of cultures; it's such a wide variety of flavors and ingredients. You can look down your block and everything is represented." The well-known versatility of Jack Daniel's behind the bar translates to versatility in the kitchen, in Tennessee, New Jersey, California and beyond. Chef Chris Dickey flambés candied apples with Jack Daniel's, a signature dish at Miss Mary Bobo's Boarding House. Lynn Tolley, proprietor of Miss Mary Bobo's in Lynchburg, Tennessee and Jack Daniels' great-grandniece. Pies topped with Jack Daniel's–laced whipped cream and a copy of one of Lynn Tolley's cookbooks. ■cr LYNNE TOLLEY of Miss Mary Bobo's in Lynchburg, Tennessee

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