We’ll always keep the downtown stories coming, but your 2025 reader survey responses told us you want to hear more about small businesses in your own neighborhoods. In today’s “Urban Outposts,” we head east to spotlight some hidden treasures along Magnolia Avenue.
I have a heart for East Knoxville as I started my daytime career there over 30 years ago. Frank Shanklin, Jr., one of the business owners I met on this journey, called its main thoroughfare, Magnolia Avenue, something I’d never heard: “entrepreneur alley,” pointing out that most businesses investing there are small and locally owned by East Knoxvillians.
I wanted to see some of the Magnolia area businesses that local residents visit, so I reached out to a friend and former student who now teaches in the community to get recommendations. She gave me a great list to start with, and I found even more as I went. This Urban Outposts article won’t be the last in the area.
Kai’s Kitchen (2310 Magnolia Ave.)
Tucked away inside BJ’s Food Mart at 2310 Magnolia Ave., Kai’s (pronounced Kays) Kitchen is serving up, as owner Melanie Kai McAllister called it, “down home soul” food. Her restaurant is a quick service, to-go model (my order took less than 10 minutes and was piping hot). The spacious kitchen and prep area took me by surprise after I first walked in. So did the size of the line of customers wrapping through the store.
Kai’s specializes in chicken, fish and pork chops with specials every week, such as a fried rice and chicken wing combo served with spring rolls. McAllister said that she also specializes in making hand rolled egg rolls: “I have different flavors. I have a fajita chicken and cheese one, and I have our most popular, which is our Philly cheesesteak egg roll.”
McAllister moved to the location on Aug. 15, 2024 but has been doing business under Kai’s Kitchen since 2023. She is from Mechanicsville and said, “I just had a talent to cook. I had a passion for cooking and I figured, hey, I don’t wanna work for anyone. I can make my own. I can sell my fries instead of McDonald’s fries. And that’s no shade to McDonald’s. But I just felt like my business would be more lucrative.” She had been doing the business from home and with pop-ups and was driving by BJ’s Food Mart. She inquired about the space because she was ready to go brick and mortar.
She said that business is going well with customers coming from all parts of the city. “People stop and get gas and notice that we’re here. And they’re like, ‘You’re the girl from Facebook. You finally got a restaurant.’ They just come in.” Her daughter Melody now helps her at the business.
Her most popular dishes are the honey hot wings sprinkled with a little bit of lemon pepper (she has several other flavors as well). Her fried fish has a homemade batter that comes of the fryer “perfect absolutely.” McAllister wasn’t kidding. I had the fried fish with some red hot sauce and a double side of some of the best fried okra I’ve had in a while. Specials include a pasta salad, baked spaghetti, veggie fried rice with seared salmon and shrimp and loaded Philly Cheese potato skins.
You can wash it all down with a regular soda or kick it up a notch with some Tyger Punch. McAllister said, “My son’s name is Tyger, and the punch is sweet and makes you hype. And he’s sweet and he’s really hype. So we figured we’d name the punch Tyger Punch.” The drink comes in three flavors: Blue Raspberry Lemonade, Tropical Punch and Peach Mango, their most popular flavor. I had the Peach Mango and made it through the rest of my day with energy to spare.
McAllister hopes to expand, potentially to West Knoxville, in a year but plans on keeping her restaurant open in East Knox. Normal business hours are noon to 8 p.m. every night (closed on Sundays). If you want some down-home soul cooking, stop by and grab a plate to go. Check out Kai’s Kitchen on Facebook and Instagram.
Just Blaze Hot Dogs (2800 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave.)
Of all the places I asked about, the one consistent business I was told to visit was Jerrick Jones’ Just Blaze Hot Dogs. Jones started the business in 2020 during the pandemic to pay his daughter’s gymnastics and cheerleading fees. His daughter is listed on the cart as CEO. He didn’t want to fry fish or smoke barbeque, so he started to look for a hot dog cart.
Jones said that he is “born and raised here, 44 years, in East Knoxville.” He opened on a lot near Austin-East High School and is able to go mobile for events, schools and workplaces. Hanging out enjoying a couple hot dogs, the acorns hitting the metal roof of the outdoor dining area and a cool breeze blowing leaves from the trees made for a pleasant wait to do the interview.
I waited an hour and a half while Jones served customer after customer. He told me his record day was 444 hot dogs. Noting a very supportive community, he sells 100-200 per day on average. Jones told me that he loves his community: “You know, you hear a lot of bad stuff about the community, and you hear a lot of rumors, but it’s been good.” He gets business from other parts of Knoxville as well, picking up regulars when he is mobile at a business or event.
Jones has grown a consistent clientele and would like to expand his business to a building someday. When asked about other future plans, Jones added, “No matter what job I have, no matter what I do, I’ll be selling hot dogs the rest of my life. I’ll go down as a hot dog man.” And the hot dogs are incredible. I had an Original Just Blaze Hot Dog with mustard, chili and onions. Then I tried my own creation with slaw, cheese and more. I’m not sure what process Jones used to make the buns softer, but it was amazing. He also serves the Blaze Bowl with chips and a host of toppings.
If you catch him on the right day, he might even sing for you.
And what about that daughter he started the cart for? She’s graduated, like her father, from Austin-East, and is both working in and studying the medical field now. Jones added, “I’m proud of her. That’s what I started the cart for.”
Jones has a weekday job but is at 2800 MLK Jr. Ave. every Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. If you’re looking for a really good hot dog, stop by. It might take a minute, but it will be worth the wait.
Magnolia Cafe (2405 East Magnolia Ave.)
I stopped by the Magnolia Cafe on a Friday night before heading downtown for The Birds at Knoxville Theatre Downtown. The restaurant and bar was so full I had to eat at the bar, where I had some great conversation with a couple of gentlemen who had stopped by after work. I continued that discussion with two of the owners, Frank Shanklin, Jr. and State Rep. Sam McKenzie, a couple of days later to learn more about the oldest, presently-operated, Black-owned restaurant in Knoxville.
Shanklin and McKenzie had long been regulars under founders Anthony “Gravel Pit” Kimbrough and Bobby Flemmings. From the start, Magnolia Cafe aimed to be “a gathering spot where lawyers can hang out with teachers who can hang out with plumbers,” catering to a mature 30-and-over crowd.
The restaurant later faced tough financial times, worsened by COVID, and the building fell into disrepair, forcing a three-year closure.
McKenzie credited Shanklin with the idea to approach the owners about a partnership. With Shanklin’s business experience, they formed Four Guys Entertainment to manage the cafe. After securing local approvals and renovating with new equipment, Magnolia Cafe reopened on November 1, 2021.
One of the partners, Bobby Flemmings, passed away shortly before this interview. The cafe was closing for a week to honor him and host a repass for friends and family.
Since reopening, few changes have been made—though Shanklin did add fried green beans, a dish everyone once laughed at but that’s now a menu staple. He said they aim to offer “wholesome entertainment for our age group,” where “politicians come in here, your blue collar, your white collar—it’s just a mix of everything.” Shanklin wanted Magnolia Cafe to be a place where guests can “leave your trouble at the porch. It’ll be there when you leave, but come on in and forget about it for a short spell.”
He added, “People can come in here and be themselves—black, white, gay, straight—we have everybody coming in. We pride ourselves on being welcoming to everyone.” While East Knoxville residents make up most of the clientele, visitors now come from all over the city.
The cafe is open Wednesdays and Fridays from 4 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., sometimes staying open later for events. They frequently host repasses, birthday parties, anniversaries and larger gatherings such as homecomings for Austin-East, Knoxville College and the UT Black Alumni Association. Shanklin said people sometimes see a private event and think the restaurant’s open—“and we usually invite them in.” A Sunday brunch expansion is planned for 2026.
Shanklin described the menu as “soul bar food.” Chicken wings are the top seller, followed by fish, burgers and steaks, with okra and fried green beans as popular sides. McKenzie noted their staggering chicken wing sales: “Most family restaurants go through two cases in a few weeks. We go through nine or 10—about 4,000 to 5,000 pieces a week.”
The Magnolia Cafe serves 500–600 people on Wednesdays, slightly fewer on Fridays. On my visit, I had to grab a bar seat to enjoy my chicken livers and fried green tomatoes—both outstanding. Call-ins and carryouts make up a large share of their business.
Three DJs—Lil D, Hollywood and Jeremiah—keep the atmosphere lively. “They start with easy-listening music and turn it up as the night goes on,” Shanklin said. “When it’s time to close, they call last call at 10, and by 10:30, it’s done.”
Shanklin emphasized the importance of safety. “We’ve worked hard to provide a safe environment,” he said. “On Wednesdays, especially, we keep security around. Not because it’s bad folks, just let people know they’re safe. They’re walking around, checking cars, helping folks and things of that nature.”
One of Magnolia Cafe’s most distinctive features is its HBCU pennant wall. “It started with one guy at the bar who said, ‘I’m an alumnus of Knoxville College,’” Shanklin recalled. “Sam’s a Fisk alumnus, so we put both up.” Soon, more patrons began asking to display their college flags. Now, when a new pennant arrives—sometimes mailed in after people see the wall on social media—the music stops for a brief flag-raising ceremony. Each time, they recognize the school and a few of its notable alumni.
If you want some great food and a welcoming atmosphere, come check out the Magnolia Cafe. Take my advice and try the fried green tomatoes while you’re there. You can find the cafe on Facebook and Instagram.
Have an “urban outpost” suggestion? Leave it in the comments or email the editor at lesliewbateman@gmail.com. Read previous editions here.