Josh and Lauren McCartt have been at the helm ofÌýChef's PizzeriaÌýfor nearly a year and a half, and they've kept the reputation that Chef's developed over three decades in Kingsport: a reliably good, family-friendly pizzeria you can always depend on to deliver (literally and figuratively).
Chef's has been a go-to for many for years, with many referring to it as "the" pizza place in the Model City. Now, they've jumped head-first into homemade ice cream, adding a new wrinkle to the tried-and-true menu board.
TheÌýGolden ConeÌýopened over the weekend and began serving the sweet treat to downtown visitors. You might think it's no big feat to start serving ice cream to diners, but the McCartts didn't just buy a bunch of gallons to serve. They are making their own.
"We both love ice cream," said Josh, "so we thought, hey — why not? It's all homemade, made-from-scratch. We make it all here in the kitchen. We have 12 flavors, and two of them are dairy-free, which we'll rotate out throughout the year."
What are those 12 flavors, you ask? They include banana pudding, chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, mint chocolate, cookies and cream, caramel, cotton candy and their own personal take on moose tracks, which they call "Tucker Tracks."
According to Lauren, the ice cream flavor and the business itself were named for their beloved dog, Tucker.
"We called it the Golden Cone after our golden retriever, and his name is Tucker, so we kind of wanted to take a spin on that. We love him, and we named the ice cream business after him. We're really excited about that."
It is easy to see the pride they take in the new business, as well as the pride in maintaining the old. Pay a visit to Chef's Pizza soon and see how the ice cream pairs with the pizza — both scratch-made in their kitchen. You can find them at 254 W. New St. in downtown Kingsport.
In the meantime, Josh answered our What's Cooking questionnaire (below):
Q: How long has your restaurant been in operation? How long have you been involved?
A: Chef's has been in operation since 1991. We took over in October of 2023 so we are almost at a year and a half!
Q: Is this something you always wanted to do? How did you get involved, or get started?
A:ÌýLauren and I haveÌýnot always wanted to own a restaurant. However we both have always had an entrepreneurial mindset. Both of our first jobs were at Pal’s Sudden Service, so we learned a lot there and stayed in the industry. When the opportunity to own Chef’s Pizzeria fell into our laps, we took a chance and here we are!
Q: What are the specialties at your restaurant and why?
A:ÌýOur specialtiesÌýinclude our fresh-made salads and sandwiches, our fresh pizzas made with our ownÌýhand-tossedÌýdough, and now, our made-from-scratch ice cream! We take pride in ensuring all of our food is prepped daily and is as fresh as it can be. We strive to make sure the quality of our food is unmatched and the accuracy of our orders isÌýconsistent, all while sending orders out expeditiously.Ìý
Q: How did you learn to do what you do in the kitchen — what is your culinary education?
A: Both Lauren and I had a lot of learning opportunities at Pal’s, which we have carried with us to Chef’s — how toÌýwork in a kitchen with other people, leadership, work ethic and a strong drive to meet our customers' needs.Ìý
Q: Why is your restaurant appealing to customers, and how do you maintain that appeal?
A: Chef’s is appealing because we are a quick spot for lunch during your lunch break, and now that we have our made-from-scratch ice cream, we are a great place to take your family on any given day for a quick treat! We also are very convenient for dinner with dine-in, carryout and delivery available. Our online ordering system through our website, , makes it quick and easy!
Q: How do you think your restaurant differs from other (similar) restaurants in the Tri-Cities region?
A: Speed, accuracy andÌývarietyÌýis what differs Chef’s Pizzeria from similar restaurants in our market.Ìý
Q: What are the advantages and disadvantages of your location?
A: Being downtown puts us right in the middle of Kingsport, which is great because our downtown is growing and developing at an exponential rate. Being downtown does,Ìýhowever,Ìýlimit us for space to meet our growth, which many other restaurants in any older city can relate to.Ìý
Q: How often do you change the menu at the restaurant, and why?
A: We do not change our menu often. We like to think, "if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.†When we first took over Chef’s, we brought back the salad bar, which was stopped for a few years during the pandemic, for obvious reasons. A few months later, we introduced our Cinnamon Bread, which is cinnamon sugar and homemade icing drizzled on our made-in-house, hand-tossed pizza dough. Ice cream has definitely been the biggest addition to our menu.Ìý
Q: Do you have a favorite cookbook or something you couldÌýrecommendÌýto others?
A: I will admit I have never read a cookbook, as many times as I probably should have. That being said, our Golden Cone ice cream and our pizza is uniqueÌýsolelyÌýto Chef’s Pizzeria and you won’t find anything like it anywhere else.Ìý
