French fries are the new. Raw milk is the new store-bought milk. Soda is being replaced by Poppi. A nightcap is now a Sleepy Girl mocktail. If you’re holding on to your fries and Diet Coke and wondering what all this means, don’t worry. Chattanooga isn’t exactly trading in your old favorites for TikTok trends — but the products that are gaining popularity are available for those interested to discover. Here’s how local businesses are getting on board with the trends in digestive drinks, freeze-dried candy, boba products and more.
I have a crush on toddlers
When Burger Republic opened in Nashville in 2012, COO Wayne Neeley said the location was ahead of the tater tot market. The Nashville chain recently expanded to Chattanooga in 2022 and is located across the street from the Tennessee Aquarium.
The restaurant opened with a potato fondue on the menu that still earns a spot on the program 12 years later.
The American and Swiss cheese fondue blend is made with lager and topped with Benton’s Tennessee-made bacon bits, Neeley says, which makes for an “incredible taste.”
Another tot product that’s starting to rival potato fondue is the franchise’s Nashville Hot Tots, a best-seller that’s been on the menu for five years.
“We focused on tots instead of fries, and our restaurant’s tots outsell fries at all five of our locations,” Neeley says.
He says children love cupcakes and recounts the time his mother would bake them for him when he was a child.
Neeley attributes the current toddler supremacy to the tasty nature of the potato product.
“When we mix them with these Nashville spices and truffle oil, the coating is more resilient,” Neeley says. “They retain that flavor better than French fries.”
Like many other restaurants, Burger Republic is experimenting with new recipes to meet the demand for tots, and Neeley says its seasonal tatchos (potato nachos) will be back on the menu in the winter.
Visit burgerrepublic.com/chattanooga for more information.
(READ MORE: Burger Republic Plants Flag on Chattanooga Riverfront)
A boon for Boba
Eliza del Carmen grew up working at Chattanooga’s Asian Food & Gifts, her family’s business. She says she’s been drinking boba, also known as bubble tea, since she was a teenager in high school and frequenting boba shops all over town. While boba has been around for a while, the world of boba-related products is growing, especially in the aisles of Asian Food & Gifts.
“There’s a trend lately where more and more people are making their boba at home instead of picking it up at the store,” del Carmen says.
For as long as Del Carmen can remember, Asian Food & Gifts has been carrying tapioca pearls, the chewy balls of starch traditionally used in bubble tea. She says the pearls are also used in many desserts, often paired with coconut milk and fruit.
“Once you realize that all you really need to do is boil the little tapioca pearls and then add them to your favorite beverage and boom, you’ve done it, you’ve made boba, I think it’s made people more excited to get into it and try different things,” she says.
In recent years, the shop has started offering “popping bobas,” fruit-flavored balls that burst when you bite into them. They offer popping bobas flavored with strawberry and lychee, passion fruit, and mango.
During her years behind the cash register, del Carmen has seen children come in and pick up multi-gallon bags of popping bobas to eat as is.
For those who want ready-to-drink boba in bottles or cans, Asian Food & Gifts also has that in stock. They also sell boba ice cream and mochi, boba keychains, plush toys, pencil cases, pins, and other boba accessories.
“You can put boba in almost anything, and I think it will be good,” she says.
Visit facebook.com/afg.chattanooga to learn more.
(READ MORE: Family tradition: The del Carmen family has operated Asian Food & Gifts for four decades in Chattanooga)
Staff photo by Olivia Ross / Cans of boba tea are available at Asian Food & Gifts in Chattanooga.Raw breast milk
There is a strong demand in the Chattanooga area for raw milk, which is milk that comes straight from the cow, according to Anderson White, an Orchard House Creamery customer and Farmer’s Storehouse employee.
Store-bought milk is pasteurized, or heated to kill any bacteria, and homogenized, which means it’s pressurized and squeezed, giving it its classic texture and uniform white color, White explains.
White is part of Orchard House’s “herd share,” meaning he pays a monthly fee alongside other members to collectively “own” a cow, and the dairy delivers the cow’s milk to its customers. This is due to Tennessee state law prohibiting consumers from purchasing raw milk unless they own the cow, according to White. With a short trip across the Georgia border, you can buy raw milk in stores if it carries a warning label.
“Even with more than a dozen suppliers in the Chattanooga area, (raw) milk is often out of stock,” White said. “Orchard House Creamery is one of the largest suppliers in Tennessee, and its shipments to the Main Street Farmers Market are sold out almost every week.”
White claims that raw milk has a better taste and texture than pasteurized milk because it contains more cream and also has immune-boosting and digestive-boosting properties due to its natural enzymes.
“I’ve been drinking raw milk for over two years now,” he says. “I recommend it to anyone who can afford it, because I’ve personally seen the benefits it has in my life. Not only does it taste wonderful, but it’s also helped me reduce my allergies to cats and dogs. I believe in eating things the way God created them, and it’s important to treat animals with respect.”
For more information, visit orchardhousecreamery.com.
The freeze-dried candy man can
Sam Clark of Signal Mountain started freeze-drying candy in December 2023 and says back then, only one in 10 people knew what freeze-dried candy was. Now, he says it’s closer to five to eight in 10 people who know about the product.
Clark says people are always surprised by the texture, which his customers compare to cereal.
To freeze-dry Skittles, its most popular product, it takes four to five hours in the freeze-drying machine. For gummies, it takes 12 hours, and for ice cream sandwiches, it can take up to 30 hours.
Clark explains that the freeze-drying machine is like a large mini-fridge with a cooling chamber and a vacuum. Heat is applied to the candy trays from heating pads above, and the combination of the thermal vacuum and cold chamber creates the freeze-dried product. He has three of these machines in his home.
Clark runs his freeze-dried candy business full time, selling his products exclusively at the Aquarium’s Chattanooga River Market and the Chattanooga Market at First Horizon Pavilion. He usually sells out of his products.
“I can’t keep up with the demand,” Clark said. “Some stores want to wholesale, but I can’t produce enough.”
For more information, visit facebook.com/p/Clarks-Candy-100088142211262.
Photo by Molly Matalon/The New York Times/The recipe for a “Sleepy Girl Mocktail” is simple and its promise is seductive: Pour a spoonful of magnesium into a sparkling glass of sparkling water and tart cherry juice, take a big swig, and go to bed.Sleep on it
Scrolling through your social media feed, you’ve probably seen the Sleepy Girl mocktail. The influencer-promoted drink promises a good night’s sleep and is made with tart cherry juice, magnesium powder, and a sparkling or prebiotic soda. Michelle Rigling, a local certified holistic health practitioner, says those struggling with serious sleep issues should seek professional help. For those interested in trying this trendy mocktail, Rigling broke down each ingredient:
Magnesium is a commonly used supplement to aid sleep because it increases blood levels of melatonin, reduces cortisol and helps regulate the neurotransmitter GABA in the brain, helping to calm the nervous system, Rigling says.
Some studies have shown that tart cherry juice also helps increase melatonin levels.
While prebiotic sodas are likely added for taste, Rigling says consuming prebiotics to help with digestive issues in the evening will also help with sleep.
Overall, Rigling says the ingredients are good from a holistic standpoint and those looking to see if it works for them should try it every night for two weeks to see if it makes a difference.
“A lot of times we want a quick fix, and this one promises to be quick,” Rigling says. “If it doesn’t work for you, don’t give up. You may just need a deeper conversation or someone to shed a little more light on your situation.”
AP Photo/John Minchillo/Someone drinking Poppi, a prebiotic sodaReady to burst
As you walk down the soda aisle at the grocery store, you may wonder why there are new prebiotic products that look just like the usual Coca-Cola and Pepsi products.
Poppi, a popular brand of prebiotic soda, launched in 2020 and is available at national retailers like Publix and Target. It contains soluble fiber from organic agave inulin, which the company says feeds healthy gut bacteria.
“I think prebiotic sodas are trending right now because consumer demands have changed,” says Allison Ellsworth, founder of Poppi. “People want a soda with a strong taste, without the sugar and calories associated with traditional sodas.”
Ellsworth says there’s no right time to drink Poppi and that you should drink it any time you would drink a traditional soda, whether it’s for a mid-day energy boost or with a burger at a barbecue.
Visit drinkpoppi.com for more information.
