Here's the secret to those classic Ham 'N Goodys lemon cookies you love
Some say it’s the butter in the recipe that has catapulted Ham ’N Goodys’ lemon cookies to legendary status.Dale Harold, president of the restaurant group since 2016, disagrees.
“(All the lemon cookies) have been prayed over,” Harold said. “That’s what I learned from Mr. (Leroy) Shumaker.”
Since taking over, Harold has added locations in Cedar Bluff, downtown Knoxville and Sevierville, as well as three cookie trucks. His fifth restaurant opened this month at 5541 Clinton Highway in Powell, near the Expo Center.
“It doesn’t have the greatest visibility, but we’re hoping after 40-plus years of goodwill, people will find us,” Harold said.
Harold, a Carter High School graduate, had been a vendor for 10 years before buying the original restaurant on Northshore Drive in Knoxville from Leroy and Emily Shumaker. They started the Ham ‘N Goodys’ brand in 1978.
Nuts over Ham 'N Goodys cookies
Harold has a menu from 1981, giving a peek into the evolution of the local favorite.
“Cookies aren’t even mentioned,” he said. “The focus was really on specialty meats. It was long before the customer base went nuts over the baked goods.”
How nuts? Ham ‘N Goodys had its first food truck on the road in 2017. It was packed with 30 dozen cookies and set up in Halls.
“Before the tent was even set up, we were sold out,” Harold said. “We were selling them as fast as we could ring them up; about 10 minutes. We had customers help set up the tent, so they could get their cookies quicker.
“I had no idea of the popularity of our (lemon) cookies. We send our trucks out in a two-hour radius of Knoxville five days a week.”
Over the years, the bakery hasn’t changed. There have been adjustments to the menu, which includes a bolstered lunch fare, and the addition of a breakfast menu, but the cookies have been off limits when it comes to changes.
The company bought Mahalo Coffee Roasters this year from Trevor and Ashton Bayne.
Ham 'N Goodys popular in North Knox
When Harold took over the business, he was committed to carrying on the tradition that had been built. He said he had members of the Shumaker family stay on for a while to make the transition go smoothly.
“There were standards and there was service that we wanted to maintain,” he said. “Over the years, for a lot of people, a lot of big life events have had Ham ‘N Goodys boxes in the background. We continue to be part of some meaningful moments.”
The Powell location will seat 36 patrons in the dining room. Because it previously was a restaurant, preparing it to open took about four months, compared to the Sevierville location, which took about a year.
“We’ve always had a great following in North Knoxville,” Harold said. “The fundraisers and cookie trucks have been a success. It’s an area we wanted to go to.
“We’ve always had the plan, ‘If God opens the door, let’s be ready to go through it.' ”
Harold said the company’s mission statement is quite simple.
“Honor Jesus by creating an atmosphere that brings people together,” he said. “We’re blessed to be part of it.”
The Powell location is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Closed Sunday.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Ham 'N Goodys opens store in Knoxville in Powell
