The genesis of All the Fixin’s is a tale of a family favorite that was so good, they decided to start selling it.
Janna Tucker grew up amid acres of timberland in Twin City, a town in Emanuel County. Her husband Brett grew up on his family’s pecan farm in Ocilla. They met at the University of Georgia.
After graduation, they married and got jobs in Atlanta, but with the arrival of children the couple decided they wanted their kids to grow up more like they had. They bought a turn-of-the-century farmhouse on 25 acres and moved to Twin City in 2017. Tucker started a blog to document their farmhouse renovations and called it All the Fixin’s.
Credit: JULIE FREEMAN
Credit: JULIE FREEMAN
“It’s such a Southern thing to say. ‘We’re fixin’ to have some dinner.’ ‘We’re fixin’ to go there.’ I always loved the phrase,” Tucker said. “Brett said if we ever started a food business, we should use that name.”
Her husband would bring home sacks of pecans from the family farm. Tucker would use them to make cinnamon-spiced pecans, and their popularity with family and friends prompted him to suggest that, instead of just harvesting and selling raw nuts, they could make a business of selling the things she made from them.
She began offering plain, roasted and spiced pecans for sale on her blog and through social media. A local boutique carried her pecans and soon asked her to think about making something special for Valentine’s Day.
Whole halves were used for the roasted and spiced pecans, Tucker said, “but then there are the pieces. What could we do with them? My husband loves pecan turtles, so I came up with a recipe for chocolate and soft, chewy caramel drizzled over pecan pieces and named those Ruckus Makers.”
The Ruckus Makers — which are so popular that she sells more than 10,000 a year — were the first of a half-dozen cleverly named treats, including her dad’s favorite, Sweet Thangs pralines, as well as Good As All Get Out roasted pecans.
Credit: JULIE FREEMAN
Credit: JULIE FREEMAN
After the COVID-19 pandemic arrived, Tucker opened a festive outdoor space in Twin City where people could gather to enjoy coffee and such treats as pecan cinnamon rolls. There were local musicians, games for the kids and she invited other vendors to sell their wares.
“When I saw people enjoying the environment I created, it really fueled my appreciation for connection and the personal touch,” Tucker said. “That year, we rented, renovated and then purchased an old theater building in Twin City, which gave us room to expand our production, and opened a shop out front where we sell our products and those of other Georgia makers.”
Recognizing Twin City is not on most travelers’ bucket list, Tucker decided to enter the University of Georgia Flavor of Georgia competition and put All the Fixin’s and Twin City on the map. Her Get ’Em Riled Up pecans and her Burnin’ Slap Up spicy pecans were finalists in the 2022 and 2023 competitions.
The Get ’Em Riled Up pecans are coated in cocoa, instead of being dipped in chocolate, so they stay crisp and don’t melt in Georgia’s heat. The name of the Burnin’ Slap Up pecans implies they’d be too hot to enjoy, but they’re only mildly spicy, with a little back heat from paprika and cayenne.
Credit: JULIE FREEMAN
Credit: JULIE FREEMAN
In addition to processing more than 25,000 pounds of pecans each year for savory and sweet treats, the company’s kitchen produces a wide range of grab-and-go items sold from coolers and freezers in the front part of the old theater space. In 2022, she opened a second shop in Swainsboro, 11 miles away.
“I love the shops and the personal interaction,” Tucker said, “but even with our online sales, I hope our customers see what we make as a ‘hug in a box,’ and know how much we appreciate them and want them to enjoy what we’re making.”
All the Fixin’s. allthefixinspecans.com
Sign up for the AJC Food and Dining Newsletter
Read more stories like this by liking Atlanta Restaurant Scene on Facebook, following @ATLDiningNews on Twitter and @ajcdining on Instagram.
