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OUR STORY….”THE LADY WITH THE DOG” BECOMES “THE PRETZEL LADY”
WHY YANKEE DOODLE?
Yankee Doodle was my beloved Sheltie and constant companion in a previous job where I was a Rehab Consultant to nursing homes. I was known as “The Lady with the Dog.” Fellow dog lovers will appreciate how devastating her death was for me when she passed away in October 2004. To deal with the grief I started cooking for my colleagues at Drake Center, a rehabilitation hospital in Cincinnati where I was working as a speech-language pathologist. I cooked and cooked and cooked….I couldn’t keep up with the orders for black bean lasagna, white bean chili, hummus….Cooking every evening was therapeutic for me but one evening as I was chopping red peppers at 3am it dawned on me that I needed to rethink this hobby and decided to focus solely on the pretzels. Everyone loved the spicy pretzels and Marie’s Gift Shop at Drake Center began selling them as a benefit for Friends of Drake so it was a win-win. I never intended to start a business, but that’s what happened and I became “The Pretzel Lady!”
ON NEW YEARS DAY
On New Year’s Day 2005 I was gifted with another Sheltie who was six years old and needed a home. She came with the name KARMA. How fitting! She could have been Yankee’s twin and she definitely brought Good Karma to the business. I was devoted to her and am grateful for the seven years we had together; she became ill and passed away May 2012.
I felt so blessed to have cared for the two most wonderful dogs in the world and was totally blindsided July 2013 when another family asked if I would like one of their puppies. A lively mix of Poodle, Shih Tzu and Pomeranian came into our lives and we named her ZELLIE—of course! She is an incredibly funny, sweet, spirited and strong willed little girl.
OUR FIRST ACCOUNT
That first account at Drake Center was August 2005 and the business has grown steadily over the years. We’ve shared kitchen in various cities in Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky. Four years ago we secured our own space on Scott Street in Covington. We continually add new retail locations, unique pretzel flavors and delicious products such as Brosmore Pepper Patch Jalapeno Jellies. Our ZELS are sold in hundreds of locations and we’re always looking for new accounts, reps, and distributors!
Thank you for checking us out!
—Marilyn Baker, Owner
IS NICE TO MEET YOU!
MARILYN BAKER
Owner
I’ll never know what made me leave a rewarding career as a Speech Language Pathologist to become an entrepreneur! However, I don’t regret one minute of this crazy ride of owning my own business! I earned my professional degrees at Northwestern University, Boston University and Portland State University. None of my degrees has a thing to do with running a pretzel business so I have learned to surround myself with people A LOT smarter than me and it’s working! I am appreciative of all the support I’ve received over the years.
MIKE STROBEL
Flavor Expert
In addition to being an automotive pinstripper, an oil painter, an employee with CarStar, and Marilyn’s “other half”, Mike also cooks the Honey Gla-Zels. These are his baby! Many of us have tried to take it over, but none can match Mike’s abilities. He must add some secret ingredients when Marilyn isn’t looking! They are VERY VERY heavy and difficult to turn once the honey is drizzled and few of us have the upper arm strength Mike does!
TINA SYDLIK
Production Manager
Tina has been with Yankee Doodle Deli since November 2012 and we couldn’t function without her! She started in the production end and now does most of the managing of orders and preparations for shipping. Most importantly, she cooks the Spi-Zels and the Bla-Zels! She also helps oversee other interns and temp workers. She is invaluable in many, many ways.
ZACK SAALFELD
Production Assistant
Zack started with us in April 2012 and brings us joy each day. The Point / ARC placed Zack with us and it’s been a wonderful experience. (http://thepointarc.org/) Zack’s memory and attention to detail is amazing. He’s never once been late or called in sick. He’s an incredible employee and we are so fortunate to have him on board.