I was born
and raised in Nashville. My parents were not natives, but
each moved to Nashville at such a young age that this city
has always been home. I grew up listening to stories about
the legendary banana splits that Jerry fixed for my mother
when she was pregnant with me. (Her doctor had advised
her to gain weight at some point during the pregnancy.)
When I saw the original post about The Chocolate Shop, I showed it to my Dad,
and he wrote up the following recollections:
In the late
1940s, the Anderson family lived on Sweetbriar Ave. a few
doors east of Belmont Blvd. They owned Candyland at the
corner of Church St. and 7th Ave. N. A relative owned Candyland,
now Vandyland, on West End Ave. Jerry Georges, the brother
of Mrs. Anderson, came from Greece to work at the West
End store. He had served as a soldier in the Greek Army
in WWII.
When Pete Stumb vacated the restaurant at the corner of Franklin Rd and Berry
Rd, Jerry decided to open The Chocolate Shop in that space. I used a truck
to help move large copper kettles and marble slabs that he used to make candy.
When I came to work everyday in a factory behind the shop at five in the morning,
I would pitch pebbles at an upstairs window, where he then lived above the
shop. Later I would come back there for breakfast. He later married Helen who
moved in with him. His ice cream was so rich that it would cling to the roof
of your mouth.
When the Communists took over Greece, Jerry’s older brother, Dino, a
lawyer and “congressman”, had to escape that country or risk execution.
He and his two sons came and moved in with Jerry and Helen. One of the sons
was named Yannie who later opened a restaurant by that name in Green Hills.
Eventually Jerry and Helen moved to Chattanooga. Ultimately I-65 took over
the location in the late 60s.
The Andersons had two daughters named Angela and Bessie, both of whom I knew
and attended school with me. They worked some in both shops. I believe Angela
married Nick Morris, who became Jerry’s partner. Later, Nick left to
open the Sweet Shop at Hillsboro and Capers Ave. Today, The Sportsman’s
Grille occupies that location.
-Ben |