BOONE, N.C. — A new food truck has popped up in the heart of Boone with Denton Poteet behind the grill.
The food truck may be new, but the general theme of the business has been around for years.
“The Russian mistress and the Valle Scorcher are by far my best sellers,” Poteet said.“The Russian mistress and the Valle Scorcher are by far my best sellers,” Poteet said. The Russian Mistress, the Valle Scorcher, the Rhett are all names that ring a bell to high country residents.
So does the name of the truck, the Ham Shoppe.
Poteet said when he moved to the mountains in 2020 with his wife to start a family, they were sad to learn the tourist spot has shut down.
It was a staple in the mountains, bringing in people from all over for its special sandwiches and country feel.
“It was definitely more country store feel. A lot of local retail products, jams, jelly. We would go get sandwiches to go to Price Lake, Grandfather Mountain,” Poteet said.
After its long-standing building was torn down because of a road project, The Ham Shoppe’s “new location” moved around quite a bit.
Eventually, the business was put up for sale. That’s when Poteet said he decided to bring it back as a food truck. They have brought back specialty sandwiches and are working on desserts.
Poteet added he enjoys hearing a lot of memories from the community.
“‘I used to live next to it,’ or, ‘I used to go get it and go to Valle Crucis (Community) Park,’ or, ‘I would get it when we went to Mast (General) Store,’ stuff like that,” Poteet said.
As for buying the business, Poteet said he did it to spend more time with his family, including his 4-month-old son.
He added the community response has been great, and he’s happy to know that Boone missed the Ham Shoppe as much as he did.