Fire Pizza, Creamery mark milestones with ribbon-cutting ceremony

Published 1:02 pm Friday, August 1, 2025

By Ron Marvel
Star Correspondent

Two downtown Elizabethton restaurants celebrated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday. The ceremony, led by the Elizabethton Chamber of Commerce and Main Street Elizabethton, acknowledged Fire Pizza’s grand opening and the name change of Covered Bridge Creamery, which will be the first creamery in Elizabethton. Both eateries are located in the 700 block of East Avenue.

Fire Pizza, which started off with a single truck, has steadily grown and will feature New York and New Haven style pizza. Garrett Odom co-owns the business with his father, Jeff Odom.

Jeff shared that he couldn’t find a local pizza suited to his taste. He stated that through researching and experimentation, he created his own pizza. Jeff’s wife, Angie, shared just how supportive the community has been on this venture: “It’s been beyond words, not only have we been supported financially but also emotionally; our customers since the food truck have been more like family.” Their pizza features high-quality sauce and cheese, and their menu also includes items like calzones, spaghetti, bread sticks and cheese curds.

Fire Pizza is now open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Covered Bridge Creamery is located next door and is the first creamery in Elizabethton.

The business, located at 709 ½ E. Elk Ave., originally opened in 2023 as Tweetsie Trailing Ice Cream. Owned and operated by mother-daughter team May and Candice, the creamery began making its own ice cream in early 2024 after experiencing supply issues with outside vendors.

The transition to house-made products proved successful, prompting a full menu shift to all homemade offerings. In addition to crafting their own ice cream, the duo uses natural dyes and incorporates locally sourced ingredients from area farmers.

“We have a door open between two businesses, so you can grab your lunch, dinner, grab your pizza, your spaghetti, and then you can come in and get ice cream afterwards,” said Candice Candelaria, co-owner with her mother, May, of Covered Bridge Creamery. Candelaria said the ribbon-cutting was repeatedly postponed due to the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, but it was great to finally hold the ceremony “with an amazing business next door.” The Candelarias have been serving ice cream for nearly four years now and got started with peppermint ice cream.

Candice shared how the community expressed itself during Helene: “People were so encouraging and we had a lot of people offer to help. It kept us going and pushed us to go forward.” Candice said one of her favorite activities is listening to customers’ suggestions and experimenting with new flavors.

Covered Bridge Creamery will be open from noon to 5 p.m. on Wednesday and from noon to 9 p.m. Thursday through Saturday.