farragutpress

Business

Readers still have time to cast Readers Choice votes

May 27, 2026 by Tammy Cheek

Readers of the farragutpress still have time to vote for their favorite businesses to win the Readers Choice Awards.

“This is our ninth year of doing the Readers Choice Awards,” farragutpress general manager Kathy Hartman said. “I think it creates a competitive bond for businesses in the area.

“Also, it’s an excellent way for our readers to show appreciation for the businesses they support,” she added.

Among last year’s winners, Mansour Hasan, principal agent with Mansour Hasan State Farm, which won for Best Customer Service and Insurance Agency/Agent, said, ““It always means a lot to me and my team when we win something like that because it kind of validates the hard work and dedication and commitment we put into the community and into serving our customers.

“It makes it rewarding to us to be able to get some recognition,” he added. If his State Farm team wins again this year, “we would be extremely excited, honored and it would motivate us a bunch it would validate our efforts are appreciated.”

“We’re so blessed; it’s unbelievable,” Rick Terry Jewelry Designs co-owner/master jeweler Rick Terry said about last year’s win for Best Jewelry Store.

Rick Terry Jewelry Designs is a “family-owned and operated business that’s been here over 30 years in this community,” he said. “It’s joy. We do as much as we possibly can for the non-profits, the schools and the churches, but they bless us so much, too, and we’re just so thankful for all that.

Patience pays off

The rise of Smoked Pickle Barbecue

May 27, 2026 by Jake Nichols

On a sunny Friday afternoon in west Knoxville, Eric Pickle sat underneath a wooden canopy.

His relaxed demeanor cut a hard contrast with the chaos reflected in and around his blue-tinted Costa lenses.

Trucks pulled into the gravel lot behind him, customers forming a lunchtime line for the red food truck bearing Pickle’s name: Smoked Pickle Barbecue.

Here, some business owners would be panicking, ready to jump in and help — but not Pickle.

Because deep down, on some level, he knew all along that this hysteria was coming. And he was prepared.

“It’s a lot to think about, but I try to remember it’s all part of the vision for that,” he said. “It was supposed to happen.”

Until it almost didn’t.

A leap of faith

A graduate of Bearden High School, Pickle attended the University of Virginia before returning to Knoxville in 2018. He worked in the corporate world for several years, sampling barbecue across the country before deciding to start smoking meats on his own more than six years ago.

In 2020, after changing jobs, Pickle was furloughed during the pandemic. Looking for something else to occupy his time, he bought meat in bulk and developed his own twist to Texas-style barbecue.

“We didn’t know what the heck we were doing,” he said, “so we shot a few videos and started a little Instagram page. But we sold a lot through PayPal and Venmo, and that’s when I was like, ‘Hey, I could maybe do something with this.’”

Stretching with the wild side

May 27, 2026 by Staff Reports

Blue Ridge Yoga guests are invited to “Yoga at the Zoo,” a special after-hours fundraiser Friday, May 29, at Zoo Knoxville, 3500 Knoxville Zoo Drive, Knoxville.

It begins with an up-close surprise animal encounter before transitioning into an all-levels yoga class surrounded by the sights and sounds of the zoo, according to Suzanne Cada, Blue Ridge Yoga studio director.

“Participants will have the rare opportunity to move, breathe and unwind in one of Knoxville’s most beloved and unique settings, all while

supporting Zoo Knoxville’s conservation mission,” she said.

The event begins at 4 p.m., and tickets are $39 with all proceeds directly benefiting Zoo Knoxville’s ongoing wildlife conservation efforts.

“Guests are encouraged to embrace the fun by dressing as their favorite animal,” Cada said.

Event details and tickets are available at https://www.yogaknoxvilletn.com/workshops-events.