CLEVELAND, Tenn. (WTVF) — We have a state bird, a state fruit, and a state dog, but there's one category that is surprisingly empty. There's an effort underway for something else to officially represent the state.
Laney Callaway and Priscilla Morris worked in the kitchen of their Cleveland business.
"Lucy and Ethel would be a pretty apt description," Priscilla laughed.
A lot of time in there is spent discussing the singers of the 70s.
"Partridge Family!" Priscilla said. "We love some Bee Gees. If it's 70s, we love it."
So, what is that they were making?
"Basically, cabbage, onions, peppers, use a little mayonnaise, mustard," Laney said, scooping the combination into a small container.
It's called hot slaw. People put it on hamburgers and hotdogs.
"The proportion of peppers that we use, it has a real kick to it," Priscilla smiled. "Laney and I did it to memorialize her dad's legacy."
Laney's dad, Lloyd Callaway, went by Fuzz. The business is named after him, Fuzz's Hot Slaw. While hot slaw has long been a tradition in Cleveland, it's now being discussed somewhere else.
"Please let me preserve history by making hot slaw an official food of Tennessee," Rep. Kevin Raper told a House committee.
Raper has a bill in the House to make hot slaw an official food of the state.
The story of hot slaw is specific to a movie theater popular in Cleveland in the 50s, 60s, and 70s.
"It really is derived from the StarVue Drive-In," Laney said.
"They got to creating something that was different but had the texture of coleslaw," added Raper.
Another version of the hot slaw bill sponsored by Sen. Adam Lowe has already passed the Senate. Hoping it can also pass the House, Rep. Raper said what he wants is to make hot slaw one of the state foods. He's encouraging other legislators to get foods from their regions of the state presented too.
"I want barbcue to be run by one of the representatives in Memphis," he said. "I want in Collegedale, I want it to be Little Debbie."
For Nashville, he thinks it should be hot chicken.
As for the current bill about hot slaw, Laney and Priscilla love the idea.
"I think it's wonderful, and I think we should do it!" Laney said.
"I don't think any self-respecting Bradley Countian would serve a hot dog or a barbecue without hot slaw," smiled Priscilla.
For that pair who love 70s music, there was something they'd want to hear straight from a House committee.
"Many years ago Donna Summer had a song out about this," Rep. Dennis Powers told the House committee. "'Looking for some hot slaw, baby, this evening. I want some hot slaw, baby, tonight. I want some hot slaw, baby, this evening.'"
"It's been around Bradley, County for a long time," Laney said.
"We'd like to share it with the rest of our state," Priscilla added.
Raper has a second, related bill looking to make Cleveland the Hot Slaw capitol of Tennessee.
Fostering Hope provides Christmas for kids in foster care. I'm delighted to see Fostering Hope expand this year to expand their reach to now include kids in Foster care in metro AND foster kids in East TN hard hit by Helene.
-Bree Smith
