Chef Marc Holder isn’t slowing down and definitely not holding back.
Holder opened Flame and Flavor Deli and Catering on Dec. 10, 2024, and this month he brought his Sicilian and Appalachian fusion cuisine to Smoke on the River, now open inside the Naked River Brewing Company.
Holder did all this while still successfully running a food and beverage management company that provides concession food and drinks for the Red Wolves games at CHI Memorial Stadium in East Ridge.
In January Naked River Brewing Company owners, Jake and Elizabeth Raulston announced that the group that was managing the brewery and restaurant had left. They were determined to reopen and were trying to regain control of the building and licenses. Holder said his friend knew the owners and reached out to him.
“When this space was vacated, he called me and asked if I had any interest in helping out running the restaurant side,” Holder said. “I was like yeah of course. It kind of worked out perfectly. So, I came in and in 10 days I wrote a menu staffed a restaurant and got it open.”
You can tell by his passion and the way he smiles while talking about the restaurant that cooking and pleasing people’s palates is something he enjoys. His family ignited his passion for cooking. They immigrated to the U.S. from Sicily. Holder has been in the kitchen since the age of 13.
“I started in a dish pit in a pizzeria in Long Island,” he said. “I have 24 years of experience in the industry just counting me. My upper echelon, my corporate chefs, have over 100 years of experience between us. So, we've been doing this for a long time. I've worked in seven different cities. I've worked in Manhattan, Orlando. I've worked in Huntsville, here in Chattanooga. I moved to different cities to learn different styles of cooking. I moved here to learn how to barbecue. I've been here about 15 years now, but I've been everywhere. I bring a lot of that knowledge here to create this beautiful fusion of food. We love food. We have a passion for it. This is what I've done my entire life.”
Every item on the menu is made from scratch by Holder and his talented team of chefs. Holder describes his Sicilian and Appalachian fusion as a cuisine specific to the Scenic City.
“You're going to look for your collard greens, your barbecue, your smoked meats and stuff like that,” he said. “The best way that we can describe it is to imagine a pulled pork ravioli with a rosemary bechamel. That's what we pretty much tell everyone, think pasta with smoked meat.”
Their top seller is the Sicilian smash burger.
“Hands down,” he said. “It's my Nona's meatball recipe. We smash it down into a burger patty, topped with provolone and a 12 -hour marinara sauce, all on an onion bun with garlic confit oil.”
The Hillbilly sushi appetizer is sure to become an immediate crowd pleaser.
“Chef Jesse and I had created that probably a decade ago,” Holder said. “We smoke our pork butts and cool them down. We mix them with a house-made South Carolina vinegar sauce that I created, as well as smoked cheddar and bacon bits. And then we roll a third of a cup into every egg roll. We deep-fry them and we cut them into little rings to look like sushi. And then we dress them with our house-made barbecue sauce, green onions, and house-made pickled red onions.”
Another specialty is their house-made chicharrones which are light and crispy and dusted in his “Cheech,” rub.
“My Cheech rub,” he said with a slight chuckle. “That was one of my sous chefs, creations. Jesse came up with the Cheech rub and Chong sauce. We use that on our chicharrones, and we also use it for our smoked chicken. All our chicken wings and our chicken thighs are rubbed down with that Cheech rub first and then you toss it in the Chong sauce.”
Holder said the Cheech rub is more cumin based, and the Chong sauces is spicy but not to the point of being painful.
In addition to the great food Holder is launching lunch specials, events and entertainment. The lunch menu offers a variety of items at a reduced price. On Tuesdays, tacos and beers are only $2 and on Wednesdays it’s $2 beers and $1 chicken wings. The Chattanooga Poker Club is hosting their poker games at Smoke on the River and Holder is working on lining up musical artists and local comedians to perform at the venue.
All the beers on tap are home brewed products of the Naked River Brewing Company. Holder is also seeking a full liquor license to offer adult drinks and cocktails. The bartenders are all on track of becoming Certified Level One Cicerones, making them experts on all the brews and what beer pairs with each meal.
Holder plans to expand the menu by mid-March adding more of his fusion cuisine,
“We're going to add two pasta items,” he said. “We're going to add a muffaletta. We'll add a meatball sub and stuff like that.”
After the interview we sampled the Sicilian smash burger served with a side of fries. We also tried his Hillbilly sushi.
The marinara sauce is rich and comforting. The cheese is melted and velvety smooth. The smashed meatballs (yes, double patty) were delicious, and the bun was soft and pillowy. As for the Hillbilly sushi, you could tell the pork was cooked low and slow. The exterior wrapping had a nice crunch factor. The drizzle of the barbecue sauce offered a sweet yet slight hint of heat. The subtle toppings of the pickled red onions took it all to the next level.
With the current and upcoming menu additions, beverage and entertainment options, Smoke on the River is destined to become a favorite among locals and tourists.
Smoke on the River
- 1791 Reggie White Blvd.
- Chattanooga, TN
- (423) 541-1131
- Facebook:facebook.com/profile.php?id=61572966080089
Operational hours:
- Tuesday through Thursday from 11 a.m. until 10 p.m.
- Friday and Saturday from 11a.m. until midnight
- Sunday from 11 a.m. until 6 p.m.
- Closed on Mondays