For the past 18 years Jennifer Hughes and her employees at City Market in Elizabethton have been serving up tasty dishes such as big juicy hamburgers with french fries, chicken salad sandwiches, bowls of beef stew, and plate lunches that include meatloaf, chicken casserole and lasagna, just to name a few of the things on the lunch menu.
However, Jennifer has been cooking since she was in high school. “I have always enjoyed cooking. I began in high school by cooking supper for my parents. When I reached 16 and got my license to drive, daddy would give me money to buy groceries, and I would shop and do the cooking. It was a fun thing for me to do,” she shared.
Jennifer later attended Johnson & Wales College in Charleston, S.C.
Her dishes at City Market have earned her the title of Best Cook/Chef by STAR Readers in this year’s Annual Readers’ Choice Awards. In addition, City Market was chosen for Best Lunch, Best Dessert, and Best Burger.
Although chicken salad, pimento cheese and hamburgers are best sellers at City Market, Jennifer’s favorite thing to make is desserts, and she makes a lot of them, including a variety of cream pies and cakes.
“I attribute any success I have had to the Good Lord above. He has blessed me. Also, I have a good group of employees, and we strive for consistency in both service and food,” she said.
City Market, located on E Street across from the Elizabethton Wall of Honor, has many local customers, some of whom have been coming for years. “We used to have a breakfast club, but we only have two or three left as many of them died or are too sick to come,” Jennifer shared.
As well as dine-in service, City Market does a lot of carryouts, especially for lunch, and catering. “We cater for parties, dinners and other events. A lot is repeat business,” Jennifer said.
“We work hard to please our customers, and our food is made fresh every day,” Jennifer added.
Her chicken salad from the beginning has been a best seller. What makes chicken salad good? Jennifer has no secret ingredient, but said that freshly cooked chicken, boneless breasts, makes the best salad.
Many of City Market’s menu items are seasonal, such as fresh fruit in the summer served with chicken salad, soups in the fall and winter, and they range from vegetable to broccoli and cheddar, to chili, beef stew and soup beans and cornbread.
Her desserts are seasonal, too, such as pumpkin cake and pies in the fall. “I love fall,” she said. Christmas time brings coconut cake.
Just as Jennifer is very complimentary of her customers and staff, she also speaks well of the downtown and community. “I think Elizabethton is special, and a very pretty town. We have the Covered Bridge and the War Memorial and Wall of Honor, and lots of nice shops. It’s a small town, and I like that. Everyone knows everyone. Most of our customers we know by their first name, and that makes for good business,” she suggested.
Although City Market has been a restaurant for only 18 years, City Market, itself, is an Elizabethton institution. It was started by George Miller as a small grocer and vegetable market. Later, his son, Jack Miller, Jennifer’s uncle, owned the business. “When he decided to retire, my mom and dad bought it for me to start my restaurant in,” Jennifer said.
Jennifer is the daughter of Frances Ellis and the late Milburn Ellis. She is married to Robert Hughes and they are the parents of three sons, Nathanael, Mibby and Matthew.
In conclusion, Jennifer added that she feels honored and very thankful to her customers for being chosen for the Readers’ Choice Awards. “I thank them from the bottom of my heart,” she shared with a smile and a tear in her eye.