The International Biscuit Festival

A beautiful bonut
A beautiful bonut

If biscuit heaven was a place, I think I found it.

Knoxville, Tennesse- the home of neon orange football jerseys, Mabel, and this former food post– continues to impress me. Having spent the weekend consuming the most delicious olive and scallion hummus and tasting Vietnamese pho for the first time (which, in the words of a friend of mine, tastes like “angel tears”) I thought things couldn’t get better.

That was, until the International Biscuit Festival.

Turning the corner onto Biscuit Boulevard and finding a long stretch of red and white striped tents full of happy people blessing others with hot biscuits-knowing that I could try five of whatever biscuit I chose-was about like how a small child feels staring at a never ending stack of Lucky Charms, candy bars, and free iPads.

From the humming of a biscuit-themed songwriting competition to the smell of fresh dough sizzling in a deep fryer, it was a celebration of what makes Southern food so delicious- the buttery layers of comfort and warmth we lovingly call biscuits.

Since I was forced to choose-one of these biscuit masterminds below made a bonut people- below are my top five favorites. Hopefully these will inspire you to make your own biscuit combos- or visit Knoxville next year and experience it for yourself. I’ll be there-but next year I’ll probably buy two tickets  just so I can go through the line twice.

1. Green-Eyed Monster Pimento Cheese Buttermilk Biscuit, Tupelo Honey

A mind-blowing combination of spicy pimento cheese dough, buttered and sandwiched with fried jalepeno
A mind-blowing combination of spicy pimento cheese dough, buttered and sandwiched with fried jalepeno

2. Andouille Shrimp and Grits Biscuit, Applewood Farm House Restaurant

3. Candied Bacon, House-Cured Clabbered Cream, and Honey and Balsamic Reduction Buttermilk Biscuit, The Plaid Apron

Biscuits with balsamic glaze and clabbered cream
For those of you who have never tried it, clabbered cream is fantastic

4. Sweet Water Valley Smoked Cheddar and Onion Biscuit, The Tomato Head

5. Family Reserve Drop Biscuits (aka “bonuts”) with Sorghum Whipped Cream and Blueberries, Biscuit Love Truck

A lovely, sweet drop biscuit fried and filled with cream
A lovely, sweet drop biscuit fried and filled with cream