I had an Aunt Betty…
I recently came to realize so did many other people who were lucky enough to have Aunties in the 70s,80s, and 90s. You see, Betty, short for Elizabeth, was apparently a very popular baby name in the 40s,50s, and maybe even the 60s. So it came to be that many of us knew Bettys or were related to them.
My Aunt Betty was more of the black sheep of her sibling group, falling in the middle somewhere in age. She was outspoken and bold. She often led the charge in being first to make those adolescent errors in judgment and timing. She would disagree with my last statement and correct it by saying that she was not the first, but only the unlucky one who got caught.
I am sure she had her share of run-ins with my grandmother and grandfather as she grew up. She smoked, had boyfriends and raised a child as an single mother (a term called an unwed mother) in a time that in 1950 when this was almost unheard of.
I came to know her as the one who stood up, and spoke up when the older cousins ganged up on younger ones.
She was the sister whom my mother would call to come over when her and my father had a fight.
The best way I can think of to describe her is that she had grit.
When I had my first child at nineteen she was not judgemental or surprised, she understood that I had been through some very tough years childhood years after my mother passed away.
By this time in 1980’s Betty was raising her 2 younger children and driving a school bus part time while they were in class.
One day as we were having a chat (That I now realize was a more purposeful discussion) she was asking about my interests and skills. I told her I loved to cook.
Her eyes lit up and she confided in me that if she had been able to start over in her life she wouldn’t change a thing except chase the one dream she was never able to fulfill and that was to have her own bakery and catering company.
She beamed as she said she had hoped that maybe one day I would be able to do so. She still held out hope she could live her dream- even through someone else.
Years passed, I never did pursue a life in the culinary arts. rather I went on to have a corporate career in sales and training . This type of work afforded me to the lifestyle to raise my daughter. Ironically it was my own daughter who went on to Johnson & Wales and worked with the field as a trained chef.
We saw Betty occasionally at family gatherings. When they were held at our home, we would cook for everyone. It made me happy to feed and host all my mother’s siblings and our cousins.
Before I moved to North Carolina, Betty’s health was heading in a downward direction. She had been riddled with Rheumatoid arthritis that she had managed for most of her adult life, but now was so severe it deformed her hands and kept her in constant pain.
Even through all her pain, Betty crocheted all the cousins, blankets one Christmas.
I know was a labor of love. I still have mine and last I checked, so did my cousins.
I made the effort to visit her every now and then at her apartment. The visits were always short as she would tire easily. But even into her old age she never lost her spunk and attitude!
When she passed, her children asked me to read her beautifully written words at her funeral service. I choked through the tears trying to focus on the pages in front of me and hoped I had done them justice.
Fast forward to 2024- Boone, NC
My husband and I ventured out to Boone NC on the 4th of July for a long weekend with our little Jack Russell mixed Terrier dog named Dooley.
Boone is located at the base of the Smoky Mountains and is part of the Appalachian Trail. Boone is conveniently just three hours away from Raleigh NC. So it makes for an easy weekend get away.
Our trip was planned for two reasons: First it was our wedding anniversary and second Dooley has become deathly afraid of the loud, booming bangs made by the exploding fireworks.
The town of Boone considers itself quite dog friendly so we planned to venture out the day after the fourth to explore the downtown when is was quieter.
We rented a peaceful cabin in the mountains in the most blissful setting that was a mere ten minute drive to the bustling little downtown.
It had two ponds and a great wrap around porch fitted with rocking chairs and porch swing.
The views of the mountain peaks in the distance gave way to incredible sunsets.
Smoke stacks rose each morning from the hills as the dew lifted to the sun. As the fog slowly burnt off, the mountains would magically appear right in view.
In the early evenings just before dusk a group of deer would gather by the pond to eat the crab apples that fell from the trees. The tree frogs and the crickets would chirp a lullaby as the sun disappeared over the mountain peaks. The darkness allowed the night sky to open up to a star filled sky.
We brought our books and planned to just chill most of the time. I had just finished reading The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho and if you have not yet read this book I promise not to ruin it for you, but will tell you throughout the story the main character is a young boy seeking to understand life’s meaning and his purpose.
The boy is given wise advice and told to watch for signs that the world around him will provide him on his journey. Sometimes they are lessons and sometimes they are omens that point him in the direction in which he should go.
My husband who rarely reads this type of book picked it up and read it cover to cover. We then had an amazing philosophical discussion about our paths, and outlooks for the future.
If you have not read this book yet, me telling you about this this may sound meaningless, but keep reading. Buy the book on Amazon. If you have read The Alchemist, you will enjoy the rest of the story.
We headed into downtown Boone on the morning of July 5th in search of some coffee and breakfast with Dooley. He was happy and excited for a car ride.
The town was bustling with tourists in and out of the stores. They have some fun little stores in the the area and one of mine is The Mast General Store.
My husband had his sights set on some bagel place and normally I would have been fine with that choice. However we drove past a sign that made me turn my head about 180 degrees. I yelled “stop”!
There it was with its pretty orange umbrellas with outside tables and chairs underneath them tucked in between a coffee shop and the general store a sign that read Betty’s Biscuits.
I knew we just had to follow this omen and eat there instead. My husband agreed. We parked in the public parking area about three blocks away. We walked back to the outdoor seating to find there was one last table available. This spot was perfect for Dooley since it was out of the sun and near some shrubbery.
We ordered cappuccinos and they were spot on fantastic! I love a good foamy coffee and when you can get a pretty design on top it just makes it feel more special. It was made with locally roasted beans that were full of flavor.
The menu had all these amazing breakfast options including as you can imagine many breakfast sandwiches on biscuits. I watched the waitstaff deliver plates of nicely browned tall fluffy biscuits to the nearby tables. I sat smuggley thinking I knew if I listened to the signs just like the character in the book we would select the perfect place for breakfast.
The waitress came back again with a bowl of water for Dooley. He had settled down with a treat, as we sipped on our coffees, drooling over the menu. We noticed the sky getting a bit gray, It is the mountains so you never know what is going to happen with a sky like that, It could pass right over or you could have a sprinkle, a shower, or downpours.
We agonized over choosing a breakfast option since it all was so much fun. Some of the biscuit sandwiches were called names like the Towonda and for anyone who has seen the old movie Fried Green Tomatoes you will get the reference. Yes it had fried green tomatoes.
I considered the Flim Flam Jam, Side hustle, and The Plain Jane biscuit sandwich some of which had pepper jelly and local meats like country ham or sausage. Some local produce also showed up in items like their Funghi gravy.
I settled on The Pecky which had country ham, a yard egg, cheddar cheese, Dukes mayo, and caramelized onion.
My husband wanted a bigger breakfast so he opted for A plate called the Big Momma which came with two yard eggs, grits or potatoes, sausage and bacon and a biscuit. He ordered a side of sausage gravy also.
While we were waiting for our food the sky got darker and the outdoor tables started clearing out. One of the staff offered to move more umbrellas to us but just as that process was happening the roaring of the thunder in a distance started to spook Dooley and we started looking for plan C.
We considered ducking into the coffee shop next door if the storm was only passing through or maybe a quick run into the Mast General Store. Our waitress came out and said “if he is well behaved they sometimes make an exception to the no dogs inside rule”. Dooley is well behaved, so we took them up on the offer and inside we went.
Just as the door opened, so did the sky. It poured thunder and lightning all around us. it was not just a quick passing shower it dumped buckets of water. The tourists all disappeared from view and the town became empty. We sat dry and comfortable at Betty’s Biscuits. Again, we knew that all of this was because we followed the signs laid out before us.
Dooley settled in once more under the table and our food arrived.
We each bit into our food and made oh…ah… sounds and immediately offered each other a taste. The biscuit was huge and one of the best I have ever had. It was crispy on the outside but still fluffy throughout. The egg was so fresh you could taste the egg flavor and the country ham was still a tad bit juicy, not overcooked and dried out like shoe leather, like you usually get in a biscuit.
Rob’s breakfast had the creamiest grits dressed with a few bits of bacon on top he insisted I try them. His sausage gravy was thick and milky loaded with sausage bits. His bacon was thick cut and cooked perfectly and his sausage was made local and full of flavor. He loved his biscuit and dipped it generously into the sausage gravy.
While my hunger subsided I started to look around me. It was still storming so we ordered another cappuccino and started taking in the whole vibe of Betty’s biscuits. On the old distressed brick wall were all these headshots of women from the 1950s and 60s all who had similar hairstyles, sunglasses, and clothing options to what my Aunt Betty would have worn in her heyday.
Some looked like their high school yearbook pictures with bouffant hair dos. Others looked like bathing beauties posing for a pageant photo.
Some were family photos taken a long long time ago, and yes there were some spunky photos of women playing electric guitars back in the day when women were discouraged from such activities. Women posing in the leaves on the ground and wearing their peddle pushers and smoking cigarettes.
I was feeling my Aunt Betty here, I just had to know the story, so I sought out the manager.
She told me that some of the photos were of Betty. She told me that Betty had the best biscuit recipe around. She told me that they still use it today. Sorry it is a trademark secret- I asked.
Betty is shown in the above photo. She appears in a few of the others taken in her younger years. The Manager also said that some of the Bettys on the wall were moms and grandmas of the staff and that her own mother was in one of the photos hanging in the ladies room holding a cigarette.
Speaking of smoking, sitting right there next to us there was an old cigarette machine painted yellow where people used to insert their coins and pull a lever that dispensed a pack of their chosen smokes. That same machine would now still dispense something but you can not smoke it, now it dispenses art.
Aside from biscuits they sold other baked goods, local honey and specialty items. They are set up for take out as well. So if you find yourself in Boone and needing a hearty baked biscuit sandwich,a big bowl of grits, or some eggs and local sausage Betty’s Biscuits has it all figured out.
I thought wow! My Aunt Betty would have loved to have been memorialized here too. How special this place is that they captured the spirit of their Betty and mine.
I was so glad that I had listened to my instincts and followed the signs that lead me here on this special journey on a stormy day in Boone NC.
Visit Betty’s biscuits in Boone NC at 640 W King St, Boone, NC 28607 or online at https://www.bettysbiscuitsnc.com
Their staff was amazing ,efficient, attentive, and kind. They serve some of the best breakfast food and coffee that we have had in North Carolina. You will totally enjoy the vibe, and maybe, just maybe you will find yourself reminiscing about “the Betty” in your life too!
Weare rating Betty’s Biscuits in Boone, NC a 5 out of 5 hearts
