The Story Behind The Yankee Doodle Deli
HOW DID A SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGIST BECOME "THE PRETZEL
LADY?" You asked so I'll tell you. Sit back and
relax.
Yankee Doodle |
At one of our annual retreats, my college girlfriends recall
me saying that I would like to start a food business someday,
but I don't remember saying that. It could have been the lure
of the ocean and a Cosmopolitan talking, but it definitely wasn't
me. I didn't intend for this to happen. The journey
along the way has been truly an amazing experience!
My mother instilled the love of cooking in
me as a youngster and I've always found it to be a great pastime.
I started cooking for my co-workers when my dog died and one thing
led to another...
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| Yankee Doodle was a beautiful Sheltie and
my constant companion. In my previous job she accompanied me to many
nursing homes around the tri-state area where I was a rehabilitation
consultant. I was known as "The Lady with the Dog" and they
looked forward to her visits. Over forty friends attended her party
to say good-bye when we knew she was very ill. She was well loved.
Oh that we all had her sweet disposition. |
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When she died at the age of twelve in October
2004, I started cooking for friends and co-workers at The Drake Center
as a diversion from my sadness. I cooked...and cooked...and
cooked...I couldn't keep up with the orders for black bean
lasagna, white bean chili, hummus, etc. but I knew the spicy
pretzels had to continue. Friends couldn't get enough of
them. And thus, the Yankee Doodle Deli was born.
A naming contest was held at The Drake Center and ZELS was the
winning entry. Marie's Gift Shop at Drake Center started
selling them in August 2005. The proceeds benefit the Friends
of Drake which is a nonprofit Foundation that provides services and
equipment to patients. My co-workers have been very instrumental in brainstorming
ideas for new flavors and taste testing early batches (someone had to
do it). I appreciate the advice from my many co-workers at the Drake Center.
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On New Year's Day 2005, another Sheltie named Karma,
came into my life. A former patient Tom Lindstedt,
and his wife Jan, alerted me that a six year old beautiful girl
(and previous championship show dog) needed a new home. Karma
and I bonded immediately and she is precious. She could be Yankee's
twin. I know Yankee has her hand in all of this. I have indeed
been very blessed.
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OPERATIONS NOW IN COVINGTON, KY….
ACEnet in Athens was the cooking location for a long time, but eventually it was only logical to find a kitchen closer to home. We miss the crew at ACEnet and we still stay in touch. I couldn’t have grown the business to this extent without the expert help from everyone there. We had a lot of fun!
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For Christmas, the ACEnet crew presented Marilyn with this beautiful quilt made by Jenny Parker |
 For a year and a half we used facilities provided by The Point/Arc of Northern KY. This is a nonprofit organization serving people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. One of their missions is to provide job training and we are fortunate to have some of their graduates on the payroll. We have also served as a training location for their clients -- a win-win relationship. It is a fantastic organization doing such worthwhile work.
In January 2009 we moved operations to our own space and it is fabulous. We have lots of room to expand as the growth of the business continues to climb. It is in Covington and is serving our needs well. It is strictly a production facility. Please visit one of the many retailers for purchases!
WHY ISN'T THE LOGO RED, WHITE AND BLUE?
The business is named in honor of Yankee Doodle,
my Sheltie. She was named after the movie DAMN YANKEES which
a friend and I intended to buy, but came home with a dog instead of a
video. So that's how she got her name, and that's how the deli got its'
name. No patriotic theme this time!
I hope you enjoy your Zels! It's a guarantee that you will!
Marilyn Baker
The Yankee Doodle Deli
info@yankeedoodledeli.com
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