News & Events

The cuisine in our Lenoir NC restaurants just keeps getting better and better—home-style cuisine to please our appetites whether you dine out or take out.  Joan’s Sourdough Bread, located at 107 Light Street SW in downtown Lenoir, has fast become a local favorite.  There’s nothing like strolling downtown in the early morning with the scent of Joan’s freshly baked bread drifting outside her store front.

“You are always welcome when you bring Joan’s,” sums up this awesome little eatery that’s fairly new to the town of  Lenoir–although Joan’s recipes have been appreciated at farmer’s markets and other local events stretching back through the years.

Joan’s commitment to serving the folks in the mountain towns of North Carolina is genuinely expressed in her own words: “We work with local suppliers to source the freshest and most authentic ingredients, and use old-fashioned techniques to ensure the highest quality. Our goal is to make your taste buds happy!”

No wonder the folks of Lenoir gather at Joan’s to sip her sweet tea or rich Crown coffee while trying to choose which of her mouth-watering sweets to enjoy.   Comfy seating and Wi-Fi make it easy to linger a little longer.

Joan’s original recipes are the reason lunchtime never tasted quite so wholesome, fresh and flavorful.  Her BBQ is cooked to perfection on an open pit and seasoned to please your palate.  And thanks to Joan, this wholesome goodness doesn’t have to end with lunch.  Her breads lend themselves to breakfast (generous slabs of homemade bread turned into French toast), and dinner– a basket of home-made buns will be gone before you know it.  If you don’t have the time or skills to bake yourself, your friends and family will love a fresh loaf from Joan’s just as much.

Joan’s Menu:

Sandwiches at Joan’s are created on freshly-made buns and are served in style with petite pickles and a bag of chips.  She makes her own chicken salad and pimento cheese, as well as creamy fresh slaw.  For those with a discerning palate, it’s good to know that Boar’s Head deli meats and cheeses are the go-to and be sure to leave room for Joan’s delightful sweets.

Bread choices:  plain, wheat, cheesy garlic, jalapeno, garden herb; condiments:  mayo, mustard, heavy mayo, mayo on side, raisins, craisins, walnuts, extra tomato, onion, lettuce and pickled jalapeno.

Home-style Chicken Salad: “Made with a handed down recipe. This is our best- selling sandwich. You can enjoy it on one of our sourdough buns or on a bed of lettuce.”

Handmade Pimento Cheese: “Henry’s Mother’s recipe handed down to him. This is an all-time favorite especially on our Jalapeño Sourdough Bun.”

BBQ & Slaw: “The BBQ is cooked on an open pit and seasoned just right. The slaw is made in house. Add it all to our Plain Sourdough Bun.”

Blazing Buffalo Chicken Breast: “Tender Chicken and spicy seasoning. How about adding some Vermont cheddar and the garden…..on our Cheesy Garlic Sourdough Bun. Smoking good!!!!!”

Cajun Style Turkey Breast: “So full of flavor and the spicy is spot on. Pair with our Monterey pepper jack cheese…. all on our Jalapeño Sourdough Bun. This choice will be hard to forget.”

Cheese Sandwich: “Made with naturally smoked gouda, smoked gruyere and full flavored provolone. Add the garden and choose your favorite sourdough bun.”

Ham: “Made with Tavern Smoked Ham, the flavor is so rich. It pairs so well with any of our cheeses especially Swiss on any Sourdough Bun.”

EverRoast Chicken Breast: “So very tender and seasoned just right. Pairs so well with our cream Havarti cheese or provolone on our Garden Herb Sourdough Bun.”

Turkey: “Mesquite Wood Smoked, Roasted Turkey Breast. So full of flavor….it can stand alone. But lets load it up with some Muenster cheese and the garden and pack it in a big Sourdough Bun.”

Ham & Turkey: “What a pair! And the flavors mingle so well….cheese it up and dump the garden in and you have a happy tummy.”

Roast Beef: “Londonport Top Round Seasoned Roast Beef. Has just a hint of port wine. So tasty and tender. It can blend with any cheese and doesn’t need a lot more.”

Roast Beef Combo: “This is the king of them all. Londonport Roast Beef, Tavern Smoked Ham and Mesquite Wood Smoked Turkey Breast makes the combo. Cheese please?…..plus the garden all on a fresh Jalapeño Sourdough Bun.”

Roast Beef & Ham: “Just two of the best on this choice. A little lighter, two dainty hands can handle this one as long as they behave themselves. It’s hard not to get carried away with a sandwich this good.”

Roast Beef & Turkey: “Another double gets me in so much trouble. I love these sandwiches. Add some provolone or Swiss, hey cheddar is fine on this with some lettuce and ooh, some red onions.”

Rosemary Sun-dried Tomato Ham: “This ham has the perfect amount of rosemary infused. Lets toast our Garden Herb Sourdough Bun, heat our ham with mozzarella cheese just until they are blended. Add our condiments, don’t really need much and put it all on the bun and you have a meal like no other.”

Other Offerings:

Plain Sandwich Buns: “a favorite go-to bun. There isn’t anything this bread won’t enhance.”

Plain Loaf: “Our very first sourdough bread loaf and there isn’t anything plain about it…our best seller…goes with anything and makes everything fabulous…not San Francisco Sourdough. I make Appalachia style sourdough and it has its own flavor.”

Cinnamon Loaf: “for the folks that don’t like raisins.”

Cinnamon Raisin Mini: “Just as good as the mother loaf.”

Plain Bread Mix: “My very first sourdough loaf is also available in the mix. It’s the easiest to make and so very good.”

Brownies: (package of 6—ships only November-April); “made from scratch… the best you will ever eat. Triple chocolate means the cake is chocolate…chocolate chips…and a soft fudge-like icing.”

Jalapeno Sandwich Buns and Loaf: “fresh jalapeños, cheddar cheese and a little onion…”

Wheat Loaf: “another package of sourdough wheat goodness. Provides 12 nice servings and makes the best toast by far.”

Wheat Dinner Rolls:  “King Arthur bread flour and stone ground whole wheat flour…my wheat bread is to good to be ignored. It’s higher in fiber which is a plus.”

Cinnamon Raisin Rolls: (package of 4); nice and thick with an incredible glaze.

Apple Cinnamon Loaf; “a big hit…the fresh apples make the difference.”

Cheesy Garlic Mini Loaf and Buns:  “Sharp cheddar blends well with the garlic and hey it‘s Appalachia style sourdough, the best there is.”

Plain Dinner Rolls:  “Excellent choice to serve with any meal.”

Joan’s Holiday Cake: “the best Holiday Cake…made with brandied fruit (peaches, pineapple and maraschino cherries)…raisins, coconut and pecans. Each large cake weighs 3.2 pounds.” Only available to be shipped at Thanksgiving and Christmas.”

Bread Mixes: Cinnamon Raisin, Cinnamon Apple,  Wheat, Cheesy Garlic, Jalapeno.

Plain Hotdog Buns: New England style…3 varieties.

Also available for the family—cups of chicken salad and pimento cheese!

What’s even better?  Joan’s is one of many contemporary Lenoir NC restaurants—with an online menu so that customers can create their own personal fare with ease from the comfort of their mountain homes. Joan guides her online customers through the ordering process with a personal touch so it feels as though you’re standing in line at her Light Street store!   In time Joan will be adding even more to her online menu, but for now there’s every sandwich under the North Carolina sun!

Joan’s Store Hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday—10-4; Friday—10-7:30; Saturday—10-3; closed Sundays and Mondays; call 828-757-9080 to place an order.

For those with charming homes in The Coves, a peaceful and gated community nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains, it’s easy to pop on down to Joan’s Tuesdays-Saturdays.  Joan’s warm and sunny personality suits those who have settled into an amazing life at The Coves.  One of the perks of this close-knit gated community is its proximity to top-notch Lenoir NC restaurants and quaint shops.  You can choose or build your own idyllic mountain home at The Coves and discover how perfect life can be in historic Lenoir.

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