In 1933, John "Flappy" Stevenson was down on his luck after the insurance firm he worked for went under during the Great Depression. He took the last of his savings and opened the Pancake Palace in a cheap, vacant storefront in Whittier, North Carolina. He surmised - correctly - that people still had to eat, and pancakes were cheap to produce en masse. In an effort to distance himself from his past and turn over a new leaf, he stopped using John and started to go by "Jack."

At the outbreak of World War II, the Pancake Palace was the only restaurant left operating in Whittier, with all others folding during the Depression. The wartime rail traffic - both troops and material - was a sudden boon to Pancake Palace, with an influx of railroaders and soldiers passing through its doors. In 1946, Jack opened a second location in Bryson as returning soldiers moved their families to the area and got jobs on the local Ashokan, Mohonk & Western Railroad.

Now in its 15th year of operations, Pancake Palace is the most popular restaurant in the Great Smoky Mountains region. The postwar economic boom has brought an influx of tourists to the area, and with them came more local residents that work in support industries, all of whom appreciate the finest pancakes Appalachia has to offer.

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FLAPPY'S FAMOUS FLAPJACKS
- 1 cup flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 egg, well beaten
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon melted butter

Combine flour, baking soda, and salt, and mix well. Combine egg and buttermilk, then gradually add to flour mixture, mixing to a smooth batter. Add butter. Bake on hot, greased griddle or frying pan. Serve hot with maple syrup. Makes 12 pancakes.

(The above recipe is actually "Sour Milk Griddle Cakes," taken from the book All About Home Baking, published in 1933 by General Foods Corporation. These are the best pancakes ever created, and all other recipes should be destroyed.)