5/1/2023 0 Comments Good golly tamale![]() Central Street, Knoxville, September 2015 Good Golly Tamale, 112 S. It’s a labor-intensive process and his kitchen is small. He said he still feels like he makes about as many tamales as he can. He said, “We wouldn’t have a tamale business if it wasn’t for the Market Square Farmer’s Market. The first time he and Chris sold there they made, “as many tamales as we could,” and sold out within an hour. He also worked at Public House.īy far the largest, most dependable sales for him have been at the Market Square Farmers’ Market where, at it’s peak, he’ll sell around 600 tamales on a Saturday. The first time he stocked shelves and the second time he worked the deli. He’d spent a decade in the food industry – mostly waiting tables. It’s been extremely hard work to build the business, but he says that every time someone tells him how much they enjoyed one of his tamales, it encourages him. The ease of keeping them hot and fresh, the history of tamales in Knoxville and the fact that they are common street-food in other countries added to the appeal. Matt had helped his mother and “granny” make tamales, though he says theirs are very different from his. Originally thinking they might sell breakfast burritos, the tamale business has turned into a very good one. Good Golly Tamale Food Cart, Market Square Farmers’ Market, Knoxville, September 2015 He found some tables and chairs and it became a space he could feel good inviting people into. The walls are now covered with Beth Meadows’ art. He painted the walls and a friend added flowers. With the old out of the way, his family helped him build a cool bench. Items from Aisle Nine had gradually been removed and he had moved some to the second floor, himself. Matt is very low key in describing how it came to be: “It’s not like I saved a pile of money and opened a storefront.” Rather he says he continued to use the kitchen and when the front didn’t find a new tenant, the owner offered it to him at a very fair price. That’s still true, but the current location turned out to be more permanent than it seemed at the time and as of Friday’s soft opening, it will become the first brick and mortar location for Good Golly Tamale. When I wrote about the closure of Aisle Nine last February, I mentioned that Matt would likely be in search of a more permanent situation. Central Street, in the back of what used to be Aisle Nine. Originally started in the Public House kitchen, the business has operated for some time out of the kitchen at 112 S. Central Street, Knoxville, September 2015 His focus remains the same: making the best tamale possible. Originally intended to supplement their income, it has become a full-time endeavor for Matt, who works as many as ninety hours per week. Now operated by Matt and three employees, including his sister, the quality has remained the same, but much has changed in those two years. The business, formed two years ago by friends Chris Watson and Matt Miller has been devoted to serving only the best to their customers from the beginning. The taste doesn’t lie: they are spectacular. Made from organic, non-GMO ingredients, the tamales are of the highest quality ingredients. ![]() Many of you have enjoyed the tactile pleasure of unwrapping a small taste of heaven purchased from the Good Golly Tamale food cart.
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