The Front Porch

The Front Porch Celebrates 25 Years! by Aline Guzman

When I first opened the Front Porch, my husband gave me six months to stay in business. He planned to mark off the $2000 I spent as a loss and that would be the end of that. 25 years later, we're still here.

We opened just barely on June 9, 1980. Our light fixtures consisted of four bare bulbs. Our home-kitchen stove hadn't been hooked up yet, so we couldn't even serve food. No one had come anyway, so we weren 't overly concerned. About nine o'clock, in came a group of about 20 from Sunset Gap, most of whom I knew. And they knew I had no food to serve, but they came anyway to show their support. I served sodas that first night and we all had a good time. Some of these same customers still come in today and have become good friends.

When I was thinking about a name for the restaurant, one of the names I considered was La Hacienda. One woman heard this and said "what is that, Chinese?" That's when I decided to name it the Front Porch, a name everybody could relate to. I wanted a laid-back atmosphere with good food and music, the same feeling you'd have on your own front porch in the country with friends and neighbors dropping by.

Back then, there were no other Mexican restaurants in Cocke or any of the surrounding counties. The closest one was in Knoxville, and it was new.

People asked me "why in the world do you want to open a restaurant, especially a Mexican restaurant at the beginning of a recession and especially in the middle of nowhere, Cosby? People aren't familiar with Mexican food and they won't know if yours is good or bad".

Luckily, they were wrong! People did know the difference. Cocke Countians, like everyone everywhere, appreciate good food, no matter the nationality. If they were adventurous enough to come in the door, most people were pleased with the food, though it's taken many years to bring the decor closer to the quality of the food.

The main drawback I had was the color of my skin. Many people who came in, especially tourists from Texas, would look at my blue eyes and light skin and I could almost hear them thinking, "Humph! What would she know about Mexican food?" That's when I'd tell my husband "Go out and talk to that Mexican lady in Spanish, so she'll know there's a Mexican here". He would, and she'd be convinced that indeed there was a Mexican cook here so it must be good. My husband never cooked in his life.

When I married him way back when, I didn't know how to cook, not even to make coffee. My own wonderful mother loved gardening and raised the prettiest flowers you ever saw, but cooking was not her strong point. My mother-in-law, Julietta (Federico) Guzman, wanting to see to it that her #1 son got to eat all his favorites, took on the task of teaching me how to cook- her style. She and my father-in-law, Jesus Jose (Joe) Guzman owned a small grocery store near Detroit, including a meat counter where "Joe" was the butcher. The greatest gift she gave me was to teach me her method of cookery; she was The best cook I have ever met. She could look in the refridgerator and whip out a wonderful meal, practically out of nothing.

Pretty soon, the babies started to come; there were seven eventually. Those were the days when the husband went off to work, and the wife could stay home and raise babies. I spent many hours pouring over cookbooks and learned how to cut costs by making everything homemade. My daughter tells me now, "Mama, you were feeding us gourmet meals, and we thought everyone ate like we did, 'til we'd spend a night at a friend's house and find out different". I loved cooking interesting and nutritious food. Every night was different. One night, the meal was Italian, one was Mexican, one was Chinese, one was Country, and so on.

After my mother-in-law died in1967, my father-in-law would come to our house to eat. He said my cooking was the nearest thing to Julie's. He told me, "I didn't realize that my wife treated me like a king. Without her, I am nobody". He was such a wonderful man. He spent hours telling me and the kids about the old days, of Mexico, of Pancho Villa and the Guzman family history.

In 1976, I and my four youngest children moved to Newport; it was the same year my parents moved here from Michigan. My husband was supposed to come when he could find a comparable job to what he had in Michigan. I had a few jobs here and there when some new friends I'd made offered me the opportunity to run a restaurant in a building they'd found in Cosby. Thinking that this might be the only real chance I'd ever have to have my own restaurant, I went for it.

Early years at the Front Porch were spent trying to build the business. My friend Chloie had a gift shop in one end. She'd wait on the few customers who happened in. We played alot of board games to pass the time. Fortunately, I wasn't dependent upon the Front Porch for a living. My good husband continued to work in Michigan until he retired 10 years later; then he came to Tennessee to live.

I worked on the menu, making sure not just to include Mexican food, but many of my favorite American and International dishes, so as not to limit the Front Porch to only one nationality of cuisine.

My youngest daughter, Alicia, 14, helped me that summer and after school once it started. My other daughter, Maria, 18, was waiting tables in Gatlinburg; she made enough money there to put herself through college. My two boys worked in Gatlinburg also, and they went to college and started their young adult lives. Eventually, Alicia left to "get a real job"; the restaurant business was inconsistent and she wanted to be independent.

After graduating from the University of Tennessee with a degree in Advertising/ Communications, working at Turner Broadcasting System in Atlanta and then Greenpeace, Maria moved back home and began helping me manage the Front Porch.

When you begin something, you never think that eventually you'll get old and not be able to work anymore, but that day does come, if you're lucky. Maria has been at the Front Porch 14 years now and has taken over the management. My niece Maxine does the majority of the cooking these days. I'd taught her how to cook Mexican food when she married almost 40 years ago. She does an excellent job of my style of cookery. We have a very capable and amiable kitchen and wait staff that is making the Front Porch run better and better. I still do the fun things though, like preparing specials, the ribs and many of the sauces. I love coming in and talking to the customers; sometimes I cut up on the stage or dance with my husband, Louis, when the band plays a waltz, a jig or something else I like.

Life at the Front Porch is still fun. We celebrated our 25th anniversary with a big fiesta at the restaurant on June 9, 2005. It was one of the best parties I ever gave. Many of our oldest customers, some we hadn't seen in almost 25 years came. One even wore an original Front Porch tee-shirt that he bought 20 years ago; it was still in good condition. The musicians from years ago up until now came and gave their all musically to help make the party a huge success. There was such a variety of music, with one group after another playing all evening. We appreciate all the loyal customers and the musicians old and new who came.

After being opened weekends only for the last few years, we thought we'd try something new through the summer. We're opening everyday but Monday at 5 pm. Friday & Saturday nights will still be "bluegrass nights" featuring the best bluegrass bands in the area. Shows are at 7 & 9 on these nights. On Sunday nights from 6-9, We've got a husband & wife band, the Eclectic 'Lectric Geezers who've played for many years on international cruise ships. Their repertoire includes bluegrass, flaminco, folk, country, Spanish songs, show tunes and even an Irish jig or two. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, & Thursdays will be open mic for any aspiring talent out there in need of a stage. If you haven't been to the Front Porch before, come on out and give us a try. For directions or reservations, call 487-2875.