Terrific Trip To Tony's
My wife and I pulled into the very crowded parking lot and found a spot over on the side in the grass. I paused to take a few shots of the front of the building. We made our way inside and were warmly greeted as we walked through the door. We were escorted to a table toward the back and settled in. We hadn't been sitting there very long when our waitress asked us if we would like to move up to the front table beside where they would be taping the show. Of course we quickly took her up on the offer and moved to the front. We shared the large row of tables with some other nice folks, a lady that was a regular patron of Tony's and a couple from North Africa. We had a great time just talking with those folks before the taping started.
I also had the pleasure of meeting Southern Style Praise host, J.P. Miller. Miller is a Southern Gospel artist himself and we traded business cards. He is a very enjoyable guy to be around and makes the perfect host. He was donned in a Tony Gore apron and chef's hat for this special taping. It was also great to see Ark Studio's owner, and SSP producer, Dale Burress again. I've met Dale on a few different occasions as we are both real big Southern Gospel music fans.
I had been told by my pal, and Cross 4 Crowns manager, David Hoskins, that Tony fixed one mighty tasty burger. My mother told me that Tony had the best BBQ in town and urged me to try it. I was so torn as to what to order, but, my burger loving ways took over and I gave in to the "Big T". It is 1 pound of Fresh Ground Certified Black Angus Chuck, and it is to DIE for! I was in hamburger heaven chomping down on that thing! My wife opted for the smaller 1/2 pound, "Little T" burger. Our food was delicious. You might get to see me eating it if you watch Southern Style Praise. Visit their website for show times: http://www.arkstudioinc.com/southernstylepraise.cfm
Finally the time came for the live taping. I was thrilled to see my favorite soloist in Southern Gospel music, Tony Gore, walk out of the kitchen and into the dining area. I've seen Tony sing numerous times in my life. I've been to several of his concerts and I've seen him at the National Quartet Convention. It had been around 3-years since I had seen him last. Tony got down to business, demonstrating how to prepare his special Seafood Casserole. He and Miller had a lot of fun cutting up the potatoes and onions for the first layer. While they threw that into the oven, Tony belted out one of his all time biggest hits, Meanwhile In the Garden. He sounded as great as I have ever heard him. I was hoping he would cut into a foot-stomping rendition of, Put On A Crown, but he only sang the one song and it was back to cooking.
In between takes, Miller called out Tony trivia questions and the winners received a gift certificate for a free CD from the product table. I won 2 of them! I picked out a Phil Cross & Poet Voices CD, and a Dixie Echoes CD. I also participated in a Sweet Tea drinking contest. One of the guys from the SSP crew won that one. Runner up was WJBZ radio D.J., Tim Guinn. I came in a miserable 3rd place. I blame it on the huge "Big T" that I had just scarfed down!
Finally a completed casserole came out of the oven and Tony dished it out into bowls for anyone that wanted some. Even though I was about to bust, I had to try it. Oh man, it was delicious! If you like hot seafood dishes, you will love Tony's Seafood Casserole. He is supposed to put the recipe on his website sometime in the future: http://www.tonygore.com/
If you are looking for a great place to take your family for a meal and experience they will never forget, I strongly suggest a trip to Tony Gore's Smoky Mountain BBQ & Grill. Telly Tony that Byron sent ya! For directions, click HERE.
See all the pictures that I took below:
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