How Cootie Brown traveled the world to bring home two pies that would go on to win the 27th Annual National Pie Championship
Story by Amber Weaver
Photographs courtesy of Cootie Brown’s
Picture this — an exciting and adventurous guy named none other than Cootie Brown has spent his life traveling the world, tasting and trying as many different foods as possible. He has been to Key West searching for the most delicious Key lime pie, farming for the perfect produce, looking for the tastiest tamales in Mexico and even the best jerk chicken in Jamaica. All of this with the goal of creating a unique and interesting dining experience that everyone will love. Along the way, he found treats he knew everyone around the nation would enjoy for dessert. He knew he had to get them on a plane and to the folks at the American Pie Council.
While Cootie Brown as a traveling character and his scenario are fictional, the restaurant and the pies that went through airport security and rode in the overhead bins from Johnson City to Florida are real. The Cootie Brown’s team will be quick to tell you it was a mission to get the prized pies where they needed to be. Shockingly enough, though, Cootie Brown’s had more difficulty getting the National Pie Championship trophy home.
“We actually had an easier time getting through security with the pies and the dry ice than we did the trophy coming home,” says Logan Hines, Cootie Brown’s general manager. “We got extra screening like it was a weapon in our carry-on baggage.”
The Vella creation
Cootie Brown’s is an East Tennessee restaurant opened by the Vella family in Johnson City in 1999.
“It’s my family’s creation,” says Angela Vella, Cootie Brown’s coowner and operations manager. “We took an old Goodwill building and renovated it into the most unique restaurant, repurposing materials and adding a funky flair to it.”
The original building is on North Roan Street. The decorations and atmosphere are going to catch your attention before your food arrives, though, with quirky light fixtures, various murals and even a motorcycle hanging from the ceiling.
“It’s a restaurant that can satisfy all of your senses,” Vella says. “It’s a combination of artsy and whimsical decorations and eclectic food.”
Some of that food, of course, includes pie, but there are also gourmet fire-roasted pizzas, authentic tamales, steaks, salads and sandwiches — with the fan favorite being the jerk chicken. The team prides themselves in offering healthier choices and freshly made products as well as tons of gluten-free, vegan and vegetarian options.
“All of the food is made in house, and we’ve really mastered the diversity of the menu in addition to keeping all the food fresh and delicious,” Vella says.
Another location in Johnson City is found on West State of Franklin Road, and there’s a third in Bristol.
Who is Cootie Brown?
When opening the restaurant, the Vellas envisioned that exciting, fictional character who traveled the world, tasting and trying many different foods so that he could bring the best dining experience back to his loved ones, and that’s what they centered their restaurant around.
“If you eat in the restaurant, you’ll see murals that are all hand painted, and it goes through the story of how Cootie Brown found some of the different foods — like battling King Kong and visiting the Florida Everglades,” Hines says. “It’s kind of funky, but it’s how it ties in our weird, wide-ranging menu and how the restaurant came to be.”
No one could have ever imagined Cootie Brown would return with recipes that would win national recognition, though.
Bringing home the blue ribbons
Since 1995, the American Pie Council has hosted the annual National Pie Championships. The events are where amateur, professional and commercial pie bakers compete in various categories to see who has the best pies in the country. The pies are evaluated by first impression, flavor, feel and overall appeal, and some are even judged by creativity. This year the contest was held in Kissimmee, Florida. Cootie Brown’s heard about the competition through conversations with colleagues in the industry.
“We didn’t even know the competition existed,” Hines says. “We are glad they steered us toward it, though, to receive national recognition for our local pies.”
The two-day competition included household names like Sara Lee and Publix Super Markets. Cootie Brown’s came home with two blue ribbons out of the four pies they entered: one for the Peaches ‘n Cream Pie, which has a cream cheese filling and a cake crust but isn’t quite a cheesecake, and another for Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake, which is a unique mixture of cheesecake and pumpkin pie. Both were among the eight pies carried onto the plane and are original recipes dating back 25 years. As you can imagine, it meant the world to the Vella family and the Cootie Brown’s team.
“It showed what we’ve always felt in ourselves — that we do have a great product, and it is worth getting in the hands of more people because it is good, fun, unique and something you can’t get anywhere else,” Vella says. “It was justification for all the hard work over the years — and a realization that we weren’t all crazy!”
Vella and Hines also believe it is a win for the Volunteer State on a national level since all three of their locations are in Tennessee as well as family owned and operated.
“An accomplishment like this is what makes Tennessee so special and a great place to live,” Hines says.
What’s next?
As for what’s next for the national award-winning pie bakers, Cootie Brown’s plans to focus on getting their products — including pies, tamales and pizzas — in grocery stores, and that requires finding a bigger kitchen.
“We’re so limited by our space,” Hines says. “The amount of production we do in this 2,000-square-foot kitchen is insane. So, our next goal is to build a bigger commissary and then reach a higher production level.”
Opening new locations is on their minds too, but they never want to sacrifice the quality of their products to do so.
“Cootie Brown’s is a staple in the community,” Vella says. “We’re like an icon and a regional destination for anybody traveling through here, and we want to continue that.”
