The word is definitely out about the sensational pizza pies baked in the large brick oven at Smoky Mountain Bakers. This rustic pizzeria and bakery tucked away in the slow-paced town of Roan Mountain will celebrate its fifth anniversary next week with a full day of specials and musical entertainment.
Although they have been baking for about five years in Roan Mountain, Tim and Crystal Decker — owners and operators of Smoky Mountain Bakers and Wood Fired Pizza — have slowly but steadily built up a loyal clientele throughout northeast Tennessee and western North Carolina for their delicious pizzas and other baked goods. Customers arrive from both sides of the state line, many of them driving quite a distance for what is unquestionably some of the best pizza in these parts.
Photo by David Thometz Making some absolutely incredible pizzas in the kitchen of Smoky Mountain Bakers.
If you’ve been waiting to pay a visit, what better time than Tuesday, July 1, when this marvelous local eatery will celebrate five years of doing business in the community?
Smoky Mountain Bakers will offer live music all afternoon, including such local acts as Thistledew, The Kupos, The Roan Crows and many more area musicians.
Of course, the star attraction will be the fantastic wood-fired pizzas. To thank their loyal customers, the Deckers are offering $5 one-topping pizzas the entire day.
Photo by Bryan Stevens A customized White Pizza at Smoky Mountain Bakers.
The Deckers lived and baked for many years in California, but have made their home and their workplace in Roan Mountain for the past several years. Tim has more than 30 years of experience as a professional artisan baker.
For those in the know, Smoky Mountain Bakers is a frequent destination, whether it’s to enjoy one of their sensational pizza pies or some other baked goods, including breads, croissants, brownies and much more. The eatery recently added breakfast hours and offers a variety of items perfect for starting the day with a bang, including English Muffins, Bagels and Cheddar Biscuits paired with a variety of meats, cheeses, grilled vegetables and spreads.
Photo by Bryan Stevens Smoky Mountain Bakers has been serving wood-fired pizzas for five years in Roan Mountain.
The business is almost entirely a carry-out enterprise, but there are a few tables inside. The restaurant has also expanded its picnic deck, which now includes an awning to offer some protection from the sun and elements. On pleasant evenings, such as the one we enjoyed during our most recent visit, this is really the way to enjoy your food while admiring the view of the surrounding mountains. Diners can also bring their own wine to enjoy with the pizza.
Photo by Bryan Stevens Diners can enjoy their pizzas on the airy dining deck.
The Deckers are quick to deliver orders, despite each pizza being hand-made fresh-to-order, and the service is always friendly and prompt, including fast drink refills and custom orders. But atmosphere and table-side service aren’t the reason people flock to Smoky Mountain Bakers – it’s all about the pizzas and other baked items that are the true stars, as well as the chance to watch the bakers at work.
The menu lists about 10 specialty pizzas (which can be customized upon request) as well as the make-your-own option that allows customers to create a pie with their choice of sauces and toppings. All the pizzas at Smoky Mountain Bakers are 12- inch pies. A pie with up to three toppings will cost you $10, four to six toppings are $11 and a pie with seven to 12 toppings tops the quite reasonable price scale at $12.
Photo by Bryan Stevens Every pizza is good to the last slice at Smoky Mountain Bakers.
The regularly available toppings include pepperoni, bacon, sausage, mushroom, tomatoes, spinach, garlic, ham, onion, banana peppers, chicken, green peppers, jalapenos, ground beef, black olives and pineapple. Daily special toppings are occasionally available, in season, including home-grown items from the Deckers’ own garden adjacent to the business, such as fresh basil and other herbs and vegetables. Cheeses include fresh mozzarella, ricotta and feta, with others occasionally available as specials, and the sauces range from tomato sauce to pesto and barbecue.
The specialty pizzas include pies to delight carnivores, including the BBQ Chicken Pizza, Hawaiian and Meat Lovers. There’s also a Six-Cheese Pie with shredded dry mozzarella, cheddar, parmesan, ricotta, feta and fresh mozzarella. The “All the Way” pie offers a pizza loaded with pepperoni, sausage, ham, mushrooms, onions, green peppers, black olives, garlic, tomatoes, pineapple, banana peppers and jalapenos. The less carnivorous diners among us will find some pleasing pies with the Vegetarian Pie, as well as the Gourmet Veggie Pie, which offers spinach, kalamata olives, artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes, caramelized onions and feta cheese.
Photo by Bryan Stevens Smoky Mountain Bakers will celebrate five years of business in Roan Mountain on Tuesday, July 1.
Obviously, it’s the time in the huge, hand-built, wood-fired
Photo by Bryan Stevens Smoky Mountain Pizza also serves breakfast baked goods, such as danishes and muffins.
stone oven that produces such a unique and interesting pizza. If you’re new to the process, know that the charred edges around the crust of the pie isn’t a sign that your pizza “burned.” It’s merely a sign of a healthy stay inside the confines of the oven. The crust is thin, with a delightfully chewy crunch. I’ve enjoyed all three of the sauces, but I’m most fond of the pesto. It’s a tangy, assertive pesto sauce that really provides the foundation to help you take note of other toppings.
On the White Pizza, that pesto sauce is accompanied by ricotta cheese, garlic and herbs, spinach, sausage and caramelized onions. This riot of bold flavors has been my overall favorite among the pizzas on the menu.
I also like the “Hog Wild” pie, which piles the sausage, ham and bacon onto a pizza with just the right amount of cheese and marinara sauce.
Another recent favorite has been the Buffalo Chicken Pizza, which features grilled chicken tossed in a spicy buffalo sauce and accompanied by onions and blue cheese. I like to add a few additional tangy toppings, such as kalamata olives or artichoke hearts to this pie.
Other specialty pies include the Mushroom Bacon Cheeseburger and the Hiker’s Surprise, which features a pesto sauce instead of a red sauce, as well as mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, walnuts, caramelized onions and gorgonzola cheese.
Photo by Bryan Stevens Diners can carry out or dine in during a visit to Smoky Mountain Bakers.
The restaurant’s menu doesn’t offer much to pair with your pizza other than fresh garden salads, which are made with mixed greens, tomatoes, carrots, feta cheese, a slice of hard-boiled egg and a few scattered radish slices and kidney beans. A variety of salad dressings are also available.
The bakery offers several daily specials. The Tuesday lunch special is two pizzas for $15 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. On Fridays, get one pizza, two salads and two drinks for $15. People planning Saturday gatherings and parties might want to take advantage of the buy five pizzas for $40 special offer.
Photo by Bryan Stevens A customized White Pizza ready for sharing.
If I’m visiting on a Wednesday or Friday, I never go home without some extra treat from the other baked goods offered at Smoky Mountain Bakery on those days. A recent Friday saw the eatery offering Sourdough, New York Rye and Pugliese with fresh herbs from the Deckers’ garden, as well as Apricot-Pecan Bread, Cottage Cheese Dill Bread, Triple Chocolate Cakes, Caramel Pecan Cheesecakes, Almond-Apricot Tarts, Lemon Tartlets, Blueberry Crumb Cakes, Lemon Blueberry Tea Breads, Brownies, Cookies, Scones, Muffins, Cherry Turnovers, and Strawberry Cream Cheese Rolls.
If you want to have dessert, Smoky Mountain Bakers does offer Cinnamon Walnut Strips, as well as any of the wide variety of the cookies, brownies or other baked items that might be available at the time of your visit.
Photo by Bryan Stevens The Almond-Apricot Tart is an excellent pastry for concluding a visit.
My most recent dessert was the excellent Almond-Apricot Tart. It was a refreshing pastry and, while sweet, it was not overly so and the apricots provided it with just the right amount of tartness.
Nestled away in the quiet community of Roan Mountain near the Cloudland High School, Smoky Mountain Bakery was always too exceptional to remain a local secret for very long. Watch for the signs pointing from 19-E. If you live close by, so much the better. If you don’t, it’s definitely worth the drive to sample one of these pizzas. Make sure to also pick up one of the other baked goodies as well.
Photo by Bryan Stevens Be sure to take home some fresh-baked cookies.
Be sure to turn out on Tuesday, July 1, to help them celebrate five years of serving some of the best pizza in these parts.
••••••
AT A GLANCE: Smoky Mountain Bakers and Wood Fired Pizza, 500 Cloudland Drive, Roan Mountain. 957-1202. Tuesday-Saturday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. All menu items $12 and under. Credit cards accepted. Carryout available.
Dining Destinations 