Troyer's Mountain View Market

I was traveling on Route 11E between Greeneville, Tennessee and Jonesborough when I noticed this a big store on the north side of the highway. The sign said Troyer's Mountain View Market. Well, anyone who knows anything about the Amish knows that the name "Troyer" is quite common. So I was intrigued. Troyer is also a common name, although perhaps a little less so, among the Mennonites. I pulled into Mountain View Market with a small dose of skepticism. I mean, there are some "fake" Amish-type markets in the South that sort of imply they are Amish-owned, but they really aren't.

Mountain View Market, however, turned out to be the real deal. It's not an Amish-owned store, but it is Mennonite-owned. So the recipes and traditions found at Mountain View are worth stopping for.

Oh, and as an aside, I just went to their web page and the owners grew up in the Amish church (that would explain the Troyer name in a Mennonite church). There is an active Mennonite church in the Jonesborugh-Greeneville area. Here's an excerpt from Mountain View's website:

Opening in 1995, Mountain View Country Market is family-owned and operated by Tim and Rachel Troyer. We offer nuts, spices, flours, home-baked goods, churned butter, fresh meats and cheeses, beef jerky and more.

Being raised in Amish homes, Tim and Rachel both grew up with plenty of good quality home cooking. Having this deeply rooted in our heritage, it is an important part of our life! We sell to you what we ourselves use on a daily basis. High Quality at an affordable price is of utmost importance to us.

I wish I had gotten photos of their baked goods. Man, I bought some iced oatmeal cookies which were just melt-in-your-mouth amazing.