James (Jim) P. Kite, was born and raised in Madison county. He was an avid sportsman. He played professional baseball in the mid-1960’s, became a golfer in the amateur class. However, it was during a game in New Orleans, this young pitcher from Madison County was struggling and had gotten behind. A man stood up in the stands and taunted for Kite to “Give us a break. Go out,” he recommended, “and earn an honest living.” It was while playing that game, Jim decided to get into the ham-curing business, using his father’s secret recipe.
Kite’s Ham, this widely renowned delicacy available only from downtown Wolftown, is located in a converted chicken house that sits at the foothills of the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains. It has been in business for roughly 65 years.
When he first started, Jim cured only 400 hams per year. We are now curing 18,000 hams per year. Our goal is to continue growing the number of hams we cure by providing a great product.
