Why West Knoxville's It's All So Yummy Café is closing after 12 years

After more than 12 years of serving up what many call the best grilled cheese sandwich in town, the popular It's All So Yummy Café in West Knoxville is calling it quits.

Owner Kim Wilcox posted a farewell in an emotional Facebook post on Feb. 3, telling her customers she plans to close down by the end of the month.

"I feel like I’m running on fumes, digging deep, and trudging through, but I’ve maxed out," she wrote. "It’s important for me to know when to call it quits, but it’s also so hard when something has been the center of your world for so long."

Wilcox said she was fortunate to have been able to pursue her dream, saying that running the restaurant consumed her life and felt like a legacy she would be able to pass on. Now, however, she is "tapped out."

"I don't know that I ever thought I would get to this point," Wilcox said in a phone conversation the Monday after she broke the news. "I'm just tired. ... I need a little down time to rejuvenate."

Wilcox said she needs to regroup and refresh, but did not provide details on what her future plans are, saying simply on Facebook, "It’s not goodbye, it’s what’s next?!"

Last year, she published a cookbook of grilled cheese and sides recipes and told Knox News at the time she was working on a second cookbook featuring comfort foods; that book is already out and she is considering a third.

"I will do something else that has to do with food," Wilcox said, but added she needs time to decide what the "next thing" is going to be.

Closing the café is more than bittersweet, she said, adding, "I knew today was going to be tough. Probably the next couple of weeks are going to be tough. ... Part of me feels like I'm letting people down and that's hard for me."

Wilcox said she had been tossing around the decision to close It's All So Yummy for a while and put the café up for sale a year ago. Now that the closing is official, several potential buyers have come forward.

"We couldn't have made it 12 and a half years without the wonderful people I have had here backing me up," Wilcox said. "A lot of people behind the scenes had my back and helped me − and all the people who loyally came in and visited us once a week or twice a week ... I am so thankful for that."

Liz Kellar is a Tennessee Connect reporter. Email liz.kellar@knoxnews.com. Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe. 

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Why West Knoxville's It's All So Yummy Café plans to close