Hardin County Business Buzz: Kentucky's #1 Pizza & New Openings

Key Takeaways

• Cranky's Automotive is coming to 802 North Mulberry Street, across from Mr. Gatti's — and they'll work on diesel engines, which few E-town shops do
• The Sorting Spoon, a Harry Potter-themed food truck from Russell and Tiffani Tucker, is launching as the Tuckers' third truck
• Little Charlie's Pizza was named the #1 pizza in Kentucky by viral reviewer Luke Foods, scoring 9.4 out of 10
• Jailhouse Pizza in Meade County also made Luke Foods' top 10, giving the Hardin-LaRue-Meade tri-area two ranked spots
• Nate credited Little Charlie's manager Zeke Hill's passion and constant menu creativity for the recognition

Summary

Nate Bryan packed three stories into this week's Business Buzz: a new automotive shop opening on North Mulberry, a creative new food truck from a well-known local family, and a major statewide recognition for a hometown pizza favorite.

The headline was Little Charlie's Pizza being named the number one pizza in Kentucky by viral food reviewer Luke Foods — a spotlight Nate expects to translate into a real bump in business. Alongside it, Cranky's Automotive fills a gap for diesel repair in town, and the Tuckers' Harry Potter-themed Sorting Spoon adds another truck to Elizabethtown's growing food truck scene.

Watch this segment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pa_bI8aPZQM&t=2700s Full episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pa_bI8aPZQM

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Nate Bryan opened his segment with a trio of business updates — one new repair shop, one new food truck, and one big honor for a local restaurant.

Cranky's Automotive comes to North Mulberry

First up: Cranky's Automotive is coming to Elizabethtown at 802 North Mulberry Street, directly across the street from Mr. Gatti's. Nate had stopped by and snapped a photo — the building still reads "barbershop," with the old E-town baseball water tower coming down in the background and the new white tower going up. The shop bills itself as a general automotive service and repair operation offering, in its own words, "honest, affordable service and dependable repair to keep your vehicle running safely and smoothly."

A standout detail for local drivers: Cranky's confirmed in a comment that they'll work on diesel engines. "I know there are very few places in Hardin County, especially in E-town, that said they will work on them," Nate said. The shop can be reached at [email protected] or followed on Facebook at Cranky's Automotive — look for the red hat with a "C" on it.

The Sorting Spoon: a magical new food truck

Next, Nate revealed a story he'd been sitting on: Russell and Tiffani Tucker — known around town as Sonny Boy and Sunny Girl — are launching their third food truck, The Sorting Spoon. Nate spoke warmly of the Tuckers, who played Santa and Mrs. Claus and helped out with the dinners he and Britten hosted, and who are deeply involved in the local food truck community, including organizing the big food truck event at the fairgrounds in March.

The concept leans into Tiffani's love of Harry Potter. The menu "sorts" diners into houses — the House of Wit, House of Hearth, House of Ambition, and House of Valor — each with its own pairing. There's a Phoenix Burger and Buffalo Chicken quesadilla for the House of Valor, Sliders and a White Heat quesadilla for Ambition, a Crunch Burger and Zesty Chicken quesadilla for Wit, and an Espresso Cocoa Burger with a barbecued tortilla for Hearth. The signature drink is a "Butterbury Bliss," with sides like golden hash browns, magic-dusted corn, "slaw of secrets," and cheese sizzle, plus color-changing spoons for the sweet finish. No debut date has been announced yet, but Nate was enthusiastic: "I love Etown's food truck scene. I think it continues to get better and better."

Little Charlie's Pizza: #1 in Kentucky

The big one closed the segment. Little Charlie's Pizza was named the number one pizza in Kentucky by viral food reviewer Luke Foods, who has more than a million followers on TikTok. Luke Foods reviewed 14 pizza places across Kentucky and scored Little Charlie's a 9.4 out of 10. Nate noted that Jailhouse Pizza in Meade County also landed in the top 10, giving the Hardin-LaRue-Meade tri-area two ranked spots — "great to have two places locally named up there."

Nate and the hosts credited the people behind the product. "When a place like Little Charlie's has somebody that manages it that has so much passion, like Zeke Hill does, I think that plays a big role in the why they got that top ranking," Nate said, pointing to Zeke's constant menu creativity and visible social media presence as the face of the restaurant. He added that it's "more than just the single slice pizza over there" — the subs are good too.

The hosts expect the recognition to pay off. Nate recalled a previous Experienced Eater subject, Kara's Market in Shelby County, that saw weekend business "go through the roof" after a Luke Foods review — from 80 pounds of burger a week to 80 pounds on just Saturdays. "That's always exciting to see a small business get that kind of push in publicity," he said.