Following 61 years of classes, the Smolan school closed in May of 1987. It was later that year, Lee and Kathy Holzwarth bought the schoolhouse as office space for their commodity brokerage firm. The high-risk nature of commodities soon convinced the Holzwarths to sell their business and turn to their love of cooking.

In 1993, the Holzwarths renovated the school’s kitchen, bought a smoker and opened The Hickory Tree Catering Service. “If we fail, we’ll just have the biggest wiener roaster in our backyard,” Lee joked when their business first began. Three years later, with their catering service well established, Lee and Kathy opened the schoolhouse as a restaurant.

After graduating college, Lee worked in the oil fields where, through friends, he met the creators of the original Sonic drive-in. It was here, that he spent 15 years gaining management experience, which he put to use starting and running The Hickory Tree.

Even though Smolan is small, the schoolhouse pulls travelers from all over the U.S. off nearby Interstate 70. Although new customers often bring a magazine article featuring The Hickory Tree, word of mouth advertising still draws the largest crowd. “The first week we’d see a family; the second, we’d see that family bring some friends, and the third week, we’d see the friends bring their own family,” Lee said.

Guests and school alumni can take a trip down memory lane as they dine in the gymnasium that still has its original wood floors. Surrounded by all types of uniforms, yearbooks, trophies, pictures, and other school-days paraphernalia, many customers soak up the yesteryear atmosphere during their visit.

The walls, lining the staircase to the second floor, are scrawled with names of previous customers and alumni. Although writing on the wall during school may have meant a trip to the principal’s office found on the second floor landing, it’s permitted – even encouraged – by The Hickory Tree management.

The third floor rooms, used for private parties, are decorated according to the original subject taught in each. Sewing machines and clothing decorate the Home-Ec room. The study hall is filled with magazines and old newspaper articles, while the music room and library showcase instruments and maps.

Buffet lines, both in the gym and on the third floor, may give the impression of school lunch lines, but the food bears no resemblance.

Lee’s specialty, his hand rubbed, hickory smoked meats, receive an A++. The nutty coleslaw, baked beans, potato salad, homemade rolls and desserts don’t fall far behind. Lee attributes the quality of his hickory-smoked meats to time spent in the South sampling spicy foods and to buying quality products that provide their own flavor. “It’s simple” he says. “Buy the good product, serve the product, and don’t try to cover up the product.”

And it’s because of The Hickory Tree’s “good product”, that every weekend more than 500 people gather to go to school in this town of only 200.

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