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Julia Hunt, right, with her granddaughter Karena.
Hannah Styles
hstyles@thesmokymountaintimes.com
Julia Hunt or Julia Child?
Julia grew up a “military brat,” as she calls herself, and moved around a lot during her childhood. At the age of 14 she began working in restaurants in Atlanta and would find herself during breaks in the kitchen watching the chefs and asking questions.
She discovered her calling at a young age. She was a natural in the kitchen and loves to feed people good food. Although an excellent cook, she doesn’t refer to herself as a chef because she had no formal schooling.
“I don’t call myself a chef because I didn’t go to school for it, and I think if I did that would take away from people who did have schooling for it. I just enjoy cooking and nourishing people,” Julia said.
Early on, she found herself in Swain County and waitressed at the Nantahala Village Resort, then in 1991 became Food Service Director at Nantahala, where she sometimes stepped in as cook when they were short-handed.
Julia opened Everett Street Diner in 2000, which locals knew as “Julia’s” and was the owner for seven years, doing most of the cooking, before having to sell it due to her mom being diagnosed with cancer.
“I had to sell the diner when my mom found out she had cancer for the second time. I knew I wouldn’t be able to handle running the diner and giving my mom the care that she needed,” she said. “I’ve been a Hospice volunteer for about 30 years now, so I was familiar with the care needed in the last days. I was with her constantly during her last six months and I wouldn’t trade that for the world.”
She was recognized as Swain County Business Citizen of the Year in 2004 because county officials wanted to recognize her incredible efforts in the community.
Bryson City is one of Julia’s favorite places, but she said she could never choose just one thing that she loves about it.
“I can’t say that I have a favorite thing about this community. I moved here in 1979 and still consider myself a visitor. I love the people, how the community comes together in times of need.
“I love that my children and grandchildren were raised here. The health department, the library, the school system: the level of competence of our teachers is incomparable. The kids have great opportunities to succeed in this county,” she said.
Julia was always collecting donations for a community event, local charities, and gifts for weddings and baby showers, so eventually she and other staff members formed the NOC Staff Contributions Committee. Years later, the NOC donates about $5,000 annually to local and worldwide charities, thanks to Julia and her love for helping others.
With her love of the community, she looked for a long-term, impactful way to give back. In 2006, Julia gave her first scholarship from her foundation the Julia Hunt Endowment Fund to a deserving young parent seeking to further their college education, which is still awarded every year. She was a young mother herself when she first came here with her husband and juggled full-time parenting with waitressing work, while picking up hours in the accounting department at NOC.
Although a devout Buddhist, Julia says she feels welcome in any church in the community.
“I can walk into any church here and never feel judged. That’s one of things that I love about people here,” she said. “They are so kind. I feel like there has been a level of division in Swain County the past few years that just hurts my heart. I hope that we can start healing and bring it back to being kind to one another.”
What makes Swain County home isn’t just the community, it’s also the beautiful landscape. Julia said she adores the environment and the beauty of the mountains.
“There was no better place to be stuck during quarantine than here, surrounded by these gorgeous mountains,” Julia said. She says most people consider her a “hippie,” but she said growing up with parents in the military she has tears rolling down her face during the National Anthem and supports all military and law enforcement but believes that no group is better than the other.
“We are all meant to serve each other and be kind. No one is better than anyone. It’s all about neighbors helping neighbors. I hope people can look at me and say, ‘if she can do it, I can do it’ and that they will love one another,” she said.
Julia’s cooking now mostly revolves around fundraisers, but she makes a living by cooking at people’s homes. She said that tourists hire her to cook at their cabins for the evening but that she cooks for some people on a weekly basis.
To get involved in the Julia Hunt Endowment Fund or apply for the scholarship visit https://www.nccommunityfoundation.org/scholarships/julia-hunt-endowment. If you see Julia’s warm, smiling face in town, know that you are graced with the presence of a true gem of not just Swain County, but the world, for it is a brighter place with her in it. We should all try to be more like Julia.