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Morristown welcomes the Cajun style restaurant Smoke and Roux to Crockett Trace Drive.

The restaurant aims bring the taste of New Orleans in East Tennessee and Wade Lovin, one of the owners and one of the creator of the East Tennessee Bigfoot Festival, is thrilled to bring this style of food to the area.

“You know there isn’t any Cajun style or Louisiana style cooking restaurants in the area and I just wanted to bring something special.” Lovin said.

After the closing of Monster Burger, Lovin and the other two owners, Daniel Martin (one of the creators of East Tennessee Bigfoot Festival) and Sammy Russell, sprang into action.

“During the Bigfoot Festival we talked about the idea of opening a restaurant and then when we heard about Monster Burger closing, we talked about getting serious,” Lovin said. “We started to talk about a menu and all the food we would want to bring to the area and that’s how we came up with a creole restaurant.”

“We then contacted the owners of the building and then we went all in after.”

Russell, who also claims the title of head chef, has been cooking this style of food in the area for many years.

“Sammy has cooked different smoked meats and Cajun dishes throughout his long career,” Lovin said. “He worked at Amis Mill in Rogersville and many other places and he put the recipes for our dishes together.”

The menu crafted by Russell has a variety of Cajun style dishes that brings a bit of spice to the area.

The low country steamer includes Gulf Shrimp, crawfish, andouille sausage, Cajun corn, potatoes, onions and peppers steamed in a creole buttery blend.

The creole pasta has shrimp with penne pasta stuffed in a Cajun parmesan cream sauce and served with garlic bread.

The restaurant also serves three different meat and side combo with the meats including pulled pork, catfish, smoked chicken, BBQ ribs, beef brisket, andouille sausage, gumbo, jambalaya, smoked sausage and gumbo.

However, Lovin said that the most sought after item is the gator bites.

“Our biggest seller is our alligator because no one around us sells alligator so it is our biggest seller,” Lovin said

Lovin welcomes all of Morristown to come stop by to try the variety of dishes.

“So far we have had amazing and positive reception but we want all of Morristown to come in and give our food a try,” he said.

“We want to be inclusive of everybody. We wanted to open restaurant where the entire community is involved. That they come in hungry and leave full and satisfied.”

The restaurant is Christian based and the owners thank God for having the opportunity to open.

“I want the community to know that our values are rooted in Christianity and we want to thank God that we are here and able to serve them,” he said. “We are veteran owned and we also give discounts to veterans and first responders.”

Smoke and Roux is located at 494 Crockett Trace Drive in Morristown and is open Monday through Thursday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.