Found on the Scenic Route: Green River Hill Grocery

Perched above the winding Green River in rural Hart County, Kentucky, a short 30-minute drive to Mammoth Cave, you’d be forgiven if you had missed the Green River Hill Grocery the last time you drove through. The low-slung, brown-painted wood-paneled building on the side of an otherwise natural stretch of North Jackson Highway belies its interior—a warm, cozy place that has quickly earned a reputation as a community hub for good food, connections, and conversations.

Tony and Rachelle Wright, the current owners, along with their daughter and business partner, Dara, are among several who have run the grocery since it opened in 1951.

The name—Green River Hill Grocery—harkens to a different time when the humble general store was a staple of country living. That was, of course, until the Walmarts, Krogers, Dollar Generals, and other mega and mini markets of the world started popping up in every small town in the South. I took the scenic route to visit the Grocery and counted more than a dozen Dollar Generals and Save-a-Lots on the 90-minute drive through the countryside.

The day I visited, Tony and Dara were hard at work in the kitchen, preparing the special plate of the day—a handmade lasagna, broccoli salad, and fresh-baked focaccia bread. A few feet away, a large pot of pinto beans simmered on the stove and a new tray of cornbread was finishing in the oven. Those country staples are menu mainstays—the Grocery, which is open Thursdays through Saturdays, always has them available. Also available during my visit were a freshly made chicken salad and oh-so-many desserts. The dessert options are plentiful and all equally delicious from pecan pies to bundt cakes and ice cream. 

Rachelle will be quick to tell you that Green River Hill Grocery is not a farm-to-table restaurant, though I may disagree. The ice cream, made in the small kitchen alongside the lasagna and soup beans and focaccia and cornbread and chicken salad, uses just four or five ingredients, depending on the chosen flavor. The strawberry ice cream had five ingredients listed: milk, whipping cream, strawberries, salt, and vanilla extract. The milk and heavy cream come from a dairy farm a half mile away. I would posit that the Grocery is farm-to-table without the pretension.

Green River Hill Grocery started life in 1951 as a country store—somewhere that people could pick up pantry and household staples without having to drive to the “city”—and honors that legacy by maintaining a small retail section, stocked with those same essentials. Camping supplies—they are near Mammoth Cave, after all—are stocked next to grocery items, six-packs of glass Ale-8 bottles, and quart-sized bags of the beans, ready to take home. 

There might be more than 24 hours in a day for the Wright family. In addition to running the Grocery, they are also the brains behind the online brand RoadTripzee, where they document their travels and recommendations for things to do, where to eat, and other important considerations for travel throughout the United States. They also maintain a large farm, having raised everything from beef cattle and goats to tobacco and tomatoes. In their free time, they run Kentucky Farm Life, a social media channel focused on chronicling their farm experiences. They also have Kentucky Content, a social media management firm that works with numerous clients in the area. I am sure there are three or four more of their businesses I haven’t yet heard of.

Though she didn't quite put it this way, the entrepreneurial spirit runs deep in Rachelle's family. Her parents opened a restaurant, ran a farm where they raised, bred, and trained racehorses, and during the day, worked in the local school system, her dad as a principal and her mom as a teacher. It quickly became apparent that she inherited her passion and drive from her parents. During a conversation about their farmers' market vendor days, she told a story about her mother calling her at seven in the morning to say she had baked a few dozen fried pies and they should "just try them out" at the market that day. That turned into another business endeavor—the Wright's mobile kitchen, where they made and sold thousands of these fried pies. During our wide-ranging and meandering conversation, Rachelle referred to their “building era” numerous times—seemingly in reference to their experiences building a half dozen or more companies and endeavors, in some cases, like the farm and garden, literally from the ground up.

That passion, care, and attention to detail are on clear display for visitors and regulars at the Grocery. During my visit, several dozen people came, ate, and went, and Tony and Rachelle knew ninety percent of them. The ten percent who were new? They didn’t leave as strangers. And that—more than the quality of the food or the charming environment, though the meals are delicious and the Grocery is delightful—is perhaps the most defining quality of both the Grocery and the Wrights themselves.

Plan a visit and see for yourself—Green River Hill Grocery is located at 5685 North Jackson Highway in Munfordville, Kentucky, and is open Thursdays and Fridays from 11 AM–7 PM and Saturdays from 7 AM–7 PM. Take the scenic route when you visit.

Green River Hill Grocery

Green River Hill GroceryGreen River Hill Grocery