The Snack that Built Stuckey's
A Love Letter to the Pecan Log Roll
If you grew up road-tripping through the South, chances are you’ve seen one—or, if you were lucky, unwrapped one—of Stuckey’s famous pecan log rolls. And while I may be a little biased, our log roll isn’t just a snack—it’s a piece of roadside Americana, a treat that’s fueled travelers for generations.
But where did this iconic confection come from? Pull up a chair (preferably a rocking one on a front porch), because this story starts in a small Georgia kitchen with a woman named Ethel Stuckey—or, as I called her, Bigmama.
How a Kitchen Experiment Became a Roadside Staple
Long before fast food chains made their mark with signature menu items—the Big Mac, the bucket of chicken, the Wendy’s Frosty—Bigmama was perfecting a nougat-based treat that would become Stuckey’s signature snack.
It all started when she began tinkering with an old family recipe of white molasses, powdered sugar, and roasted pecans. After countless kitchen experiments (and more than a few very happy pigs who got the rejects), she finally landed on the perfect combination:
Fluffy nougat with finely chopped maraschino cherries (her secret ingredient—dried just enough to prevent bleeding into the nougat while adding a perfect tart contrast).
A rich caramel coating for that irresistible chew.
A crunchy layer of freshly roasted pecans to bring it all together.
The result? A treat “as sweet as a Sunday morning hymn,” as the Florida Times-Union once put it. And those pigs who feasted on her test batches? Let’s just say my grandparents became known for producing the sweetest-tasting bacon in Dodge County.
From Country Kitchen to Woodie Station Wagons
At first, the Stuckey’s pecan log roll was a hometown favorite, sold alongside fresh pecans at my grandfather Sylvester Stuckey’s roadside stand in Eastman, Georgia. But word spread fast, and soon, the humble little log roll became a must-have snack for vacationing families looking for something uniquely Southern and undeniably delicious.
Generations of kids in the ’70s grew up screaming from the back of a woodie station wagon, demanding their parents "pull over now" for a pecan log roll.
Even today, if you look up “pecan log roll” on Wikipedia, it credits Stuckey’s with popularizing it—a testament to the treat’s enduring legacy.
Still Sticking Around (Pun Intended!)
When I bought back Stuckey’s after decades of the brand slipping from its former glory, it gave me hope to see just how much love and nostalgia was still out there for Bigmama’s creation.
John Goodman joked with Seth Meyers about pulling over at Stuckey’s for a log roll on a road trip, and even Martha Stewart tweeted about our delicious confection. If our pecan log roll is still a pop culture reference after all these years, we must be doing something right!
I may not have inherited a traditional fortune, but I am rich beyond measure in nostalgia and nougat. The pecan log roll built Stuckey’s, and now it’s helping us rebuild this American icon—one delicious bite at a time.
So next time you hit the road, skip the gas station candy bar and grab a Stuckey’s pecan log roll instead. It’s been fueling road trips (and good stories) since before GPS was a thing.
#KeepOnSnacking