Good Neighbor Podcast: TN-WNC-SWVA

EP# 369: Two Chefs Trade Late Nights For Family Time And Launch A Drive-Thru Cafe That Puts Quality First

• Skip Mauney & Rebekah Huntsman • Episode 369

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Real food, real neighbors, and a drive-thru that doesn’t cut corners—this conversation with Dakota and Rebekah Huntsman, owners of Cast Iron Cafe in Bristol, Virginia, is a love letter to scratch cooking and community. After two decades in professional kitchens, they traded late nights for a family-first model: specialty coffee, hot breakfast sandwiches, fresh pastries, and early dinners served fast without the fast-food compromise. Their north star is simple and bold—real food made local—and it shows in every detail.

We dig into the growing gap between chains and independents, and why the “cheaper” option often leaves you with smaller portions, less flavor, and a forgettable experience. Dakota and Rebekah share how sourcing fresh ingredients, cooking from scratch, and keeping portions generous turns a quick stop into a real meal. The value isn’t only on the receipt; it’s in satisfaction, nutrition, and the pleasure of food that tastes like someone cared. They also get candid about the realities behind the window: hiring well, helping employees grow, and creating a culture where service is personal.

Beyond the menu, this is a story about connection. Regulars open up about hard days and little wins, and the drive-thru window becomes a daily ritual that makes life warmer. We talk about building a first business from the ground up—the paperwork, equipment, and logistics culinary school never mentioned—and why ownership, though intense, brings pride and flexibility for a young family. If you’re near I-81, exit 7, they’re easy to find on the Virginia side of Bristol, and they’d love to say hi. If you care about better coffee, better breakfasts, and supporting local, you’ll feel right at home here.

Enjoy the conversation, then help us spread the neighborly spirit: subscribe, share with a friend who loves great coffee, and leave a quick review to tell us what local spot should be featured next.

SPEAKER_00:

This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Skip Marty.

SPEAKER_03:

Well, hello everyone, and welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast of East Tennessee and Western North Carolina. So we are very excited today to have two very special guests in the studio with us for the first time. And I'm uh pretty psyched to learn all about them and uh their their cafe, and I'm sure you will be as well, because today I have the pleasure of introducing uh your good neighbors, Dakota and Rebecca Huntsman, who are owners and operators of the Cast Iron Cafe. Dakota, Rebecca, welcome to the show.

SPEAKER_01:

Hi, thanks for having us.

SPEAKER_03:

Well, we're glad to have you, and like I said, uh excited to learn all about the Cast Iron Cafe. So if you don't mind, why don't you kick us off by telling us about your business?

SPEAKER_01:

Uh, we are a drive-through for specialty coffee and made from scratch food. Our specialties are breakfast, hot sandwiches, pastries. Uh, we wanted to make wholesome food and beverage available for people without sacrificing their precious time. And we wanted to provide a better option than just your generic fast food.

SPEAKER_02:

Real food made local.

SPEAKER_03:

Sorry.

SPEAKER_02:

Real food made local.

SPEAKER_03:

Real food, I love it. Real food made local. Um awesome. Well, my favorite. I I like local. I'm a big fan of local. Obviously, the Good Neighbor podcast is all about that. So I'm excited uh to check you guys out. How did uh tell us about your journey? How did you guys uh get started in the cafe business?

SPEAKER_02:

Um, we've both been cooking professionally for almost 20 years. Uh we both started as teenagers, uh, both loved food, been mostly back at the house. Uh later on, uh my wife and I uh met cooking, uh working fine dining. And uh yeah.

SPEAKER_03:

There you go. And here you are tonight.

SPEAKER_01:

Um then we had kids though, and kind of wanted to take a step back from that busy chef lifestyle and have a little bit more family time. So that's where our concept was born to do a drive-thru place that was mostly focused on breakfast. We are open till seven, so we do a little bit of early dinner as well. Um, but yeah, we just wanted more family time, but we still had a passion for serving people. So, and we love coffee.

SPEAKER_03:

Love, I love some coffee myself. Now, uh that's interesting. You guys are open till seven, so you can actually eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner there, right? Yeah, absolutely. Awesome, very good, very good. Um, well, in the in the uh course, you guys have been all over fine dining, drive-thru, uh, you've done it all. Uh, what are some myths or misconceptions in the food service industry? Good.

SPEAKER_01:

Um, I think commonly people assume that an independent restaurant is always going to be more expensive than a chain restaurant. And while the dollar amount may be true, um usually an independent restaurant will offer a better value through purchasing quality and fresher ingredients. And you can often get actually a bigger portion through an independent person or an independent restaurant. Um, also, you can find more unique dishes, chains just buy frozen generic things for the masses, and it's often a very small portion. Um, it's geared to make money, but not be quality or actually fill you up. So while it may be a couple more dollars for our stuff, or even just another dollar, you're actually getting a lot more food and it's fresher and more unique, and your money is going to something local too.

SPEAKER_03:

And it's much better quality. And uh I uh, you know, I've actually found in especially in uh the this area of the country, east eastern Tennessee, uh Western North Carolina, that you know, a lot of times the independent folks are cheaper than the chains, you know. I've I have found that and and I prefer number one to support local businesses, but also you know, I like local food too. So it's you know, I'm not a chain guy.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. Uh you can really fill your fill up your whole family with us for not a lot of money.

SPEAKER_03:

There you go. Love it. So um, outside of work, if you guys have time outside of work, what do you like to do for fun?

SPEAKER_02:

We have three kids, so we're doing laundry and catching up chores when we're not working.

SPEAKER_03:

It keeps you pretty hopping, I would imagine. How old are your kids?

SPEAKER_01:

Uh two, three, and six. Wow. Yeah. Oh man, you guys. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03:

Squeezed them all into a small bundle there. That's well, that's awesome. A lot of fun. A lot of fun. But uh I I've got five kids, so I get it. Um wow. I'm totally aware. Mine are grown now, but I've been there done that. So um, if you guys could think of one thing that you would like our listeners to remember about the cast iron cafe, what would that be?

SPEAKER_01:

Um that we truly care about our customers and our employees. We want to see our employees succeeding professionally and we want to see them grow and be the very best they can be. We also want to bring joy to our customers. Um, we just care about people a lot and serving people. We've met some amazing people along this journey, and we've formed some great friendships. Um, we believe that our customers are truly some of the best people. They choose to come to us instead of the big guy. And we just couldn't be more thankful for some of the people we've met.

SPEAKER_03:

Awesome, awesome.

SPEAKER_02:

Go ahead. Oh, that's one of the biggest surprises for me, really, is like I've always been in the back, and like now when we're customer facing, some of the best things about it has been interacting with people and uh taking care of folks.

SPEAKER_03:

I'm sure being a drive-thru, I'm I'm sure you guys have some interesting stories about folks doing the funky things, or maybe not.

SPEAKER_01:

Maybe yeah, it's amazing what people share with you through the drive-thru window, that's for sure.

SPEAKER_03:

Really? Any any examples?

SPEAKER_01:

Oh, just uh you'll ask how their day is going, and they'll give you details about their life or hardships or what's going on, but they're always glad to be there getting a hot cup of coffee or just to come by and say hi because they've been a regular for a while, or you know, we like to make our new people feel comfortable. Absolutely. Yeah, so well that's awesome. It's a great place to connect, even if it is just for a few moments through a drive-thru window.

SPEAKER_03:

Well, I'm sure you have regulars too that oh yeah. Every day that would have been a good idea. Yeah, just so awesome. Sounds like a family kind of environment, actually. Um, so let's switch gears for a second. If you uh have can you guys think of a hardship or a life challenge that you've overcome either professionally or uh personally, and how it made you better and stronger in the end? Anything come to mind?

SPEAKER_01:

Um definitely getting this business off the ground while maintaining our family life. We've got those three little kids. Um while we've been chefs in the past at large and small places, this is the first concept that we've actually owned. And it feels a little different when it's you know your own heart and soul and money going into it. And there's definitely a lot of things, a lot of details they don't teach you in culinary school. Um that we learn every day doing this. So uh it's been well worth it though. We're out there doing it for ourselves, and we have the flexibility a little bit to be with our kids, and we wouldn't change anything about it as hard as it can be some days.

SPEAKER_03:

Well, you know, speaking from experience, starting a new business yourself is not easy, and it can be extremely stressful and uh a lot of anxiety driving kind of stuff, but it's also one of the most rewarding things I've ever done. So I, you know, I don't think I would have it any other way either, honestly. So I get that totally. Well, for those of us who haven't checked you out yet, would like to come by and and uh grab a cup of coffee or you know, some of your specialty food, what uh how can we learn more?

SPEAKER_01:

Um, you can follow us on social media, we're on Facebook and Instagram. Uh, you can visit our website, castiron-cafe.com. And if you're through Bristol, Virginia, we're right off exit seven of Interstate 81. So stop by and say hi.

SPEAKER_03:

The big town of Bristol. On the Virginia side or Tennessee? We're on the Virginia side. Virginia side. Just fairly.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03:

Just fairly there you go. Yeah, it's easy to do in Bristol. Yes. Very cool, very cool. Well, guys, I can't tell you how much I appreciate you uh taking time out of your busy schedule to spend some time with us. Tell us all about the cast iron cafe and all the great things you guys are doing. And uh we wish you and your family and all your customers all the best looking forward.

SPEAKER_01:

Thank you so much.

SPEAKER_03:

Thank you. Thank you, and uh, we'd love to have you guys come back sometime if you were open to it.

SPEAKER_01:

All right, anytime, thank you so much.

SPEAKER_03:

All right, all right, y'all have a great rest of the day.

SPEAKER_00:

Merry Christmas.

SPEAKER_01:

Thank you. Merry Christmas.

SPEAKER_00:

Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to GNP Tri Dash Cities.com. That's GNP Tri Dash Cities.com or call four two three seven one nine five eight seven three.