Signal Mountain residents Jenn Miller and Brian Thurlow are becoming known for their ability to take favorite foods like hamburgers and PB&J and make them their own at Twisted Confections, their new restaurant on Walden’s Ridge.
The first-time restaurant owners both had experience in various aspects of the restaurant industry before opening Twisted Confections, Miller said.
They kept hearing fellow mountain residents say they wanted a restaurant serving items such as breakfast, burgers, ice cream and dessert closer to the town of Signal Mountain, she said.
The couple decided in July to test out the idea by starting a food truck, which they initially parked on the Sequatchie County side of the mountain.
“After a couple of months, we decided that it was not going to be sufficient for a long-term operation,” Miller said. “People were really starting to figure out where we were and what we’re about, so we decided to look and see where we could possibly go and do a brick-and-mortar.”
(READ MORE: New Signal Mountain restaurant owners look back at first year)
They settled on 1904 Taft Highway, a property next to the Pumpkin Patch playground, in a building that previously housed other restaurants including Off the Grill by Chef Q and Gin Gin’s.
Two indoor dining rooms are now open, along with an outdoor seating area. The restaurant also has a small store that sells locally made items such as jams, vinegars and elderberry syrup, Miller said.
Before opening the food truck, Miller built up her local culinary reputation by selling her homemade caramel cheesecake cookies. The cookies were always selling out, so they expanded their offerings to include more unusual twists on popular treats, such as deep-fried PB&J and deep-fried candy bars including Snickers and Three Musketeers.
“That’s where we came up with the name Twisted Confections, because we can pretty much take anything sweet, or anything you can think of, and twist it into something totally different,” Miller said.
Twisted Confections
› Address: 1904 Taft Highway
› Contact: 423-254-0090
› Online: twisted-confections.com
Twisted Confections was originally known for its unusual takes on popular sweets, but its best-selling items are now its hamburgers and smashburgers, both of which are made with hand-patted, freshly ground beef.
(READ MORE: 60+ Chattanooga-area restaurants with outdoor dining)
Each member of the owners’ family created a dish that’s named in their honor, said Miller, who crafted The Jenn-E burger with cajun seasoning, Swiss cheese, bacon, mayonnaise, onions, pickles, lettuce and Heinz 57 sauce.
“It’s nothing really fancy,” she said. “It’s just the way I eat my burgers.”
Thurlow created several burgers, but his favorite is the BTB — or Bob the Builder.
“It’s basically a build-your-own cheeseburger,” he said, adding that Bob the Builder is a nickname their kids call him. “I guess it’s because I’m handy.”
The BTB is also a popular pick for customers, which Miller thinks is due to the variety of unusual toppings — from mushrooms to relish to Parmesan garlic wing sauce — that can be added for no extra charge.
Customers have earned their own namesake dishes as well, such as the “Timmy fries.” Now a permanent menu item, the dish is based on a customer named Timmy’s special request of buffalo chicken served over a bed of hand-cut fries and covered in ranch.
Eventually they want to add ice cream and a breakfast bar to offerings at the restaurant, which they plan to transition into a 24-hour diner to provide an option on the mountain for first-responders, shift workers and hunters.
Twisted Confections is now open for lunch and dinner Wednesday through Sunday, and for dinner Monday and Tuesday. The eatery also also offers online ordering for pickup at twisted-confections.com or delivery through Door Dash.
Contact Emily Crisman at ecrisman@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6508.