New Deli in Stamford Sets Meet and Greet Saturday

Tammy and Reggie Holmes stand next to the "Coming Soon" sign at the corner of Main and River Street in the village of Stamford where they plan to open their The Deli House LLC later this month.

STAMFORD  – If you have been wondering what will be “coming soon” at the corner of Main and River Street in the village of Stamford - wonder no more. Tammy Holmes is about to fulfill her dream of owning her own deli. The Deli House LLC is inviting the community to stop by this Saturday, May 9 from 10 a.m. to noonish on the deck to meet Tammy and her husband, Reggie Holmes, and their staff. 

They are anxious to fill the community in on their plans, with a grand opening sometime later this month.

Melanie Del Vecchio has been helping them promote the new business, through social and other media. She invites people to follow them on Facebook. 

Tammy has worked at a number of delicatessens in a number of places, including Reggie’s native Ireland. Reggie is a former skipper, working as a fisherman in the village where he grew up. More recently he worked at Mountainside Dairies in Roxbury. 

Tammy will be featuring some of his mother's favorite recipes.

The couple found their way to Stamford from Ireland after Tammy received her cancer diagnosis. They moved upstate to get away from the maddening crowds to continue her treatments. She is happy to say she is now cancer free. They have lived in Summit, Arkville and now Grand Gorge. She said they love it here and are looking to be a part of the community.

Tammy got started in the business in Ireland where she said they knew nothing about pumpkins or pumpkin pie. She introduced the Irish to pumpkin pie in the deli where she worked. She has worked in several different delis.

"We are all foodies," said Del Vecchio, who grew up in Grand Gorge.

The key component is local, fresh and quality. They are in the process of reaching out to local producers for fresh eggs, produce and milk. They will do baking in-house and they want to provide fast service for those on their way to work or on a lunch break.

Del Vecchio said customers will be able to come in and look through a large selection of grab 'n go foods. The refrigerator will be full. They will also feature hot foods and breakfast grab n' go food. “We want to share with everyone, and make it so everyone makes a profit, " said Holmes.

At this point they are planning on hours from 7 to 7, 7 days per week.  "Depending on what the customers want, we may tweak the hours," said Del Vecchio. "The focus will be on quality, with food prepared, cooked or handled by someone at the deli."

The coffee, featuring Oman and Dean's Beans will be fresh ground.

They are currently working with the state Department of Health on various aspects of the deli and the grand opening will be announced.

The staff is all local, from three towns around, said Del Vecchio. They believe it is important for the community to know them ahead of time. "We are looking to become part of the community and as many of the staff as possible will be here on Saturday. "

Del Vecchio said they will sponsor a contest - the person with the most shares on social media will be able to have a sandwich named after them for one month.

"I will be my own boss now," said Tammy. "We're excited, yet nervous."

The new deli is located at 124 Main St. at the intersection with River Street at the stop light.