Tennessee Moonshine Cakes with berries.A Chattanooga-based business has won first place in a national 2017 USA Today Readers' Choice poll.
Tennessee Moonshine Cakes, located in the Business Development Center at 100 Cherokee Blvd., earned the top spot in the Best Food and Drink Maker category.
"The world's first moonshine cake bakery" was started in 2012 by husband-wife team Bill Zack and Ann Dickerson as a way for them to revitalize their careers after The Great Recession.
One of the three experts who partnered with the 10Best editors at USA Today nominated the business, according to Dickerson. The top 10 winners were then determined by popular vote, according to the 10Best website.
"We were just thrilled because this time of year, especially, we're just really busy," Dickerson said. "I think [the award] will help get the word out, and we've already picked up some new retailers."
Where to find Tennessee Moonshine Cakes
-Whole Foods: 301 Manufacturers Road -Vinterest: 2105 Northpoint Blvd., Hixson -Locals Only: 850 Market St., #120 -Good World Goods: 6333 E Brainerd Road -Pleasant Presents: online gift service based in Sharpsburg, GA -Riley/Land: online store based in Nashville, TN -Mint Julep: gift shop in Huntsville, AL -The Village Shop: gift shop in Harpers Ferry, VA
After originally baking cookies, Dickerson and Zack decided to start selling all-natural cakes, which are made from scratch with 100-proof White Lightnin' moonshine from the Ole' Smoky Moonshine distillery in Gatlinburg, Tenn.
"We like to think of it as a twist on rum cake," Dickerson said.
The cakes have a shelf life of five months, and can last indefinitely if frozen, according to their website. The company offers a variety of flavors, including lemon and chocolate chip, which can also be found in their smaller "Lil' Shot Cakes."
The business is also featured in the Whole Foods market.
Dickerson said she, Bill, and their two part-time workers spend the weekdays baking and shipping the cakes before taking Tennessee Moonshine Cakes on the road to various shows and festivals over the weekends.
"We've been all over," Dickerson said. "We do the rodeos in Texas from January to March, fall festivals...we've been as far as Colorado Springs and in Michigan we do several shows during the summer."
The pair is currently preparing to head to North Carolina for two junior-league shows this weekend before heading south to Tampa and then up near Chicago, Dickerson said.
Tennessee Moonshine products, which now include hot sauces and jams, can be ordered online and shipped anywhere east of Colorado for a $5 flat rate and west of Colorado for $10, according to Dickerson.
Contact staff writer Kimberly Sebring at 423-757-6315 or at ksebring@timesfreepress.com.