The Girls Behind Dilly Dahl Deli
My name is Amy Van Meter; I’ve been in the hospitality industry since 2006.
The longer I continued working in the hospitality industry, with the majority of my experience bartending, the deeper my passion grew of starting my own business.
After taking some online classes in hospitality management and getting some business advice through the Small Business Association, I decided to try it on my own and opened Dilly Dahl Deli in Aug. 2017, serving lunches to employees at the Lands' End building in Stevens Point while using a shared kitchen space. Soon, we had several businesses we visited weekly and would occasionally cater private and corporate events.
Although 2020 obviously came and went and with that, we continued to evolve and grow as both public functions and private events began again.
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While my initial goal was to ultimately own and operate a food truck, we have progressed more into a catering business since COVID and I have decided to stay on that track. As of Oct. 2023, we have our own stand-alone catering kitchen next to Skipp's Bowling in Stevens Point and we continue to grow and evolve!
Hi -my name is Michelle and I have been helping out and now work for Dilly Dahl Deli for the past few years. I also worked at the Moose Lodge in the kitchen for about a year.
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Working in a kitchen has been a learning experience but what makes it fun and exciting is the crew I work with and the food we create.
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When I was younger, I would spend time watching cooking shows and from there, I began to learn and experiment with food. My favorite person to watch is the Food Network's "The Pioneer Woman". The food she cooks reminds me of when my mom would be in the kitchen cooking when I was a kid. I miss being a kid and eating my mom's delicious lasagna. Now that I am older, I am the one cooking to make others' bellies happy.
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With food, there are endless possibilities - after all, food is love.
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Outside of the kitchen, I am a mom to four children - three boys and one girl. I enjoy spending time with family and friends, traveling, listening to music, taking photos and working part-time in childcare.
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I look forward to working at Dilly Dahl Deli in a great atmosphere creating delicious food for anyone who crosses our path!
**In honor of Miss Kele's memory, we are keeping her about her page on our site. Miss Kele worked for Dilly Dahl Deli from 2021 until she passed away from a sudden and unexpected illness on May 15, 2024. Her and Miss Amy were close friends since 2012 and she is very much missed by all of us at the deli. Below is her bio that she wrote along with the photos she chose to go with the bio.**
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Hi! I'm Kele!
I've been in the restaurant business since I was a kid and my parents owned a bar/restaurant. I started out as a "pizza kid" and doing most of the prep work.
In the last few years I have discovered just how much I love being creative with flavors and presentation, and being in the kitchen itself. Seeing the look on people's faces when they eat our food brings me such a sense of joy. It's so motivating to be a part of a great community and contribute to different events.
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Being a "vegetarian" (I've been known to enjoy a cheeseburger or meatloaf on occasion) I enjoy coming up with vegetarian options such as my "Meatless Mo" (meat- free sloppy joes, named lovingly for my 3 year old Mollie).
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Working with my best friend, Amy, and being creative in the kitchen has really brightened our lives and makes me look forward to going to "work".. can you really call it work... Bringing smiles and joy (and amazing food) to our community feels more like an accomplishment. Look forward to serving you!
Since 2020, we were blessed to have several assistants help since then until now, which included Miss Rita and Miss Monika. Both girls have gone onto different ventures but their assistance will always be appreciated.
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Dilly Dahl Deli currently relies on assistance from friends and family when bigger projects come up (which periodically includes Miss Casie, Amy's sister Miss Tracy, and Amy's boyfriend Peter, among others).
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Most assistants have hospitality backgrounds or simply love cooking and we value their experience and creativity as we continue to provide budget-friendly and tasty menus to private events as well as public functions. :-)
And why is it called Dilly Dahl Deli? I named it after our cats,
Miss Dahlia and Mr. (Dill) Pickles. :-)
My boyfriend, Peter, designed the cute logo.
Dilly Dahl Deli, LLC
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